


You are free now

by simply_L



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Abuse, Aichmophobia, Alternate Universe - Slavery, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood, Diapers usage, Fluff and Angst, Graphic Description, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Medical Conditions, Medical Inaccuracies, Minor Character Death, Modern Era, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Harm, Sexual Abuse, Temporary Incontinence, Trauma, akashi being kuroko's saviour, slave kuroko
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-10 12:42:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 27
Words: 85,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10437981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simply_L/pseuds/simply_L
Summary: Tetsuya had been sold into slavery for as long as he could remember. With no education whatsoever, he could not read, could not write and could not speak very well. He couldn't lead a normal life even after he is free.Akashi, being his saviour, took it upon himself to help Tetsuya fit into society. While helping, more and more of Tetsuya's abuse and trauma came into light. Many deemed him a lost cause, but Akashi is determined to help him through thick and thin.





	1. Chapter 1: Kuroko Tetsuya

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Crude language, gruesome descriptions and descriptions of abuse, may cause trigger

**Chapter One: Kuroko Tetsuya**

 

A smelly cloth was tied over his eyes as he was led not too gently by the rough hands on his shoulders. The toddler didn’t bother opening his eyes, as all that he saw were pitched black regardless. In fact, the filthy cloth would only irritate his eyes when he opened them.

 

The boy trembled in fear as his surroundings brightened behind his lids and unfamiliar voices shouted around him.

 

“Ninety thousand yen!”

 

“One million yen!”

 

“Two point five million yen!”

 

“Ten million yen!”

 

The bid got higher and higher, but the child knew nothing about his fate. All that he knew was that people were shouting around him. He didn’t know what it was about, he didn’t know why it was happening. He was so scared he just want to go back ‘home’.

 

__________

 

 

His ‘home’ was a dilapidated building, abandoned ages ago. The building had been deemed by engineers and builders to be too old for inhibitions, and the soil too weak for demolition to make way for a new building. It was warned that the building might collapse at any moment, so nobody dared to go near it.

 

…Not that it was any issue for those who secretly stayed in the building. They entered the place through an underground route connected to a safe house just beside the building.

 

In the basement of the building, the air is stale and stunk of urine and waste. The entire place consisted of small, narrow compartments with gates. It was believed to be a puppy mill long ago, definitely unsuitable for humans to live in.

 

However, the boy could not tell the difference. He had been there for as long as he could remember. To him, it was his home.

 

He grew up in that place, never knowing his name, wearing clothes and provided with food just enough to keep him alive. One day, however, he was brought to a beautiful place. There, he was given a warm shower and was dressed in minimal clothing. He was then chained, arms together at the front and a long one around his neck secured by a metal lock and blindfolded. He was then led to where he was now, in an unknown place with people shouting things around him.

 

“Calling one, calling twice, Kuroko Tetsuya sold at fifty million yen!”

 

The next thing he knew, he was being pulled by the rope connected to his neck and the blindfold being forcefully removed. The kid squinted his eyes shut as the bright lights assaulted his eyes, sensitive after being in the dark for so long.

 

He blinked back his tears to look up at who was pulling him. All he saw was a plump, old man in a business suit dragging him along the rough road. The bystanders standing by the side of the road had their mouth hidden behind their hands as they whispered something in his direction.

 

“Look, do you think he bought another slave?”

 

“He is so young! You don’t think he is older than three years old, do you?”

 

“Don’t look, you wouldn’t want to end up like him.”

 

The toddler looked at those whispering people with wide, innocent eyes, unable to comprehend what they were murmuring about. He looked forward again to see himself being led into what looked like a castle to him. The older kids from the building had showed him a drawing of a castle: a beautiful building, tall things they called pillars and looking all pristine and clean. It looked exactly like the place he was being led into.

 

The boy entered the mansion he deemed a ‘castle’, not knowing any better about the fate that awaits him…

 

__________

 

Years had passed and the toddler-turned-teen lived his whole life serving his lazy ass of a master.

 

The slave was literally skin and bones; his body littered with unhealed and infected scars. His upper body was left naked and lower body covered in rags tightened around the waist by a string.

 

Every day, he was made to carry items that were twice his weight or more to and fro the mansion. Stories and gossips followed him wherever he went. By now, he had grown used to the stares and whispers that he received whenever he passed by.

 

All that went through his mind was to please his master’s capricious mood. On days where he was in a good mood, his master would throw him leftovers from dinner. On days where nothing went well for him, his master would starve him and whip him and hit him and cut him until he was left bleeding and sobbing on the ground, begging for mercy which never came.

 

The food he was fed with was never enough. It would always be thrown on the floor, his ‘meal’ would be mixed with dirt and bacteria, and the teenager would pick them off the ground one by one and stuff them into his mouth. Sometimes, he would get a stomach ache and would vomit all that he has eaten out. When that happens, he would try to eat up whatever that he had vomited so that he would not starve later, and so that his master would not punish him for dirtying the mansion.

 

As he was carrying fire wood to the mansion, the slave witnessed a scene.

 

A well-dressed boy around his age took a bite out of the crepe his mother had brought him and immediately stuck his tongue out and thrusted the crepe back to her.

  
“Disgusting!” The well-dressed boy had commented.

 

The skin-and-bone teenager looked at the scene with envy. No matter how hard he searched through his memory, he could not remember how his parents looked like. He eyes then travelled down to the crepe and licked his lips out of hunger. Whichever angle he looked at it, the crepe looked delicious. Deep fried chicken meat dipped in sauce and wrapped in green, leafy lettuce. It looked like a feast, smelled like a feast and he bet it would taste like a feast. How is that disgusting?

 

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the mother threw the crepe into the bin at the side of the road before leading her child away, probably to some other food store. The teenage didn’t know; didn’t bother to check as all he had in mind was to get his hands on that delicious…ball thing wrapped in clean-looking leaf-plant thing. He put the heavy fire wood down and rushed over to the bin, opening the lid and rummaging through the bin for the crepe.

 

He immediately stuffed the crepe into his mouth when he found it, uncaring of whatever germs that might be on it. As soon as he was finished, he heaved the wood back on his shoulders and dragged his feet back to the mansion. Unbeknown to him, his actions were witnessed and reported by a friend of his master.

 

__________

 

He didn’t know what he had done wrong, but all of a sudden, his master shoved him into the basement of the mansion the slaves called the punishment room. The teal-head curled up into a ball at the corner of the room as his master and his friends approached him with a riding crop and knives.

 

“Do you know why you are being punished, fuck toy?” His master had asked. “Eating food from the bin huh? Have I not fed you enough?!” He screamed as the riding crop connected with his fragile skin, cause It to tear and bleed.

 

“Let’s teach him a lesson to never insult my wealth, everyone.”

  
  
The boy whimpered and shielded himself as much as he could as the whipping and slashing and beating continued…

 

__________

 

When his master got tired of him, he was left in the dark basement as they head up the stairs and locked the door behind him, leaving him all along with rodents, cockroaches and other creepy-crawlies as company.

 

The boy looked around the basement. There was no place for him to relief himself. The floor was made of hard, cold concrete, so he couldn't dig a hole either. Everything was dirty grey and half torn paint with green moss and other strange stuff growing on it.

 

The only light source in the room he was in was a small vent that connects to the outside. It was close to the ground so rain water can easily enter through the vent into the basement, making the floor wet and the boy drenched and shivering on cold nights.

 

As and when the master feels like it, he would throw in a spoonful of rice and water into the basement for the boy. If he catches it fast enough, good for him. If he doesn’t, well… he would have to eat the rice off the ground and lick up the spilt water. Occasionally when the master was out for business… or what they assumed to be his business trips, the other slaves in the mansion would smuggle food in for him… at their own risk.

 

Sometimes, the slave’s master would just look for him to whip him and toss salt on his wounds, laughing hysterically when the boy twisted and cried out in pain and agony.

 

He had no idea how long he had been left in this cold, dark punishment room – he had lost track. He hadn’t had food and water in a long time. His only companions were now dead rodents and cockroaches. He perked up when he heard the lock to his room open, hoping that his master would finally let him out or give him food.

 

The teal-haired slave was felt confused when his master and friends approached him with nothing in their hands. No food, no torturous items. His master pushed him flat onto the ground, and he laid back obediently, half in confusion, and half not wanting to anger his master and his friends,

 

“Hey fuck toy,” His master grinned. “it’s time to use you for who you are.”

 

The master’s friend removed the rags that covered his lower body and the boy allowed it, confused as to where these are going. He shivered when his naked butt touched the cool but dirty concrete.

 

The friends then held onto his limbs as his master spread his legs open, presenting his flaccid cock and pink hole for whoever that looked his way.

 

The slave furrowed his brows in confusion. He had no idea why he was being stripped naked, he wondered why he was being held down.

 

He’s questions were answered, however, when his master groped at his butt cheeks roughly and spread them apart before thrusting hard into his hole. The boy couldn't hold back a scream as the action tore at his inner walls, causing it to bleed. Although the blood eventually lubricated his walls, it failed to take the pain away.

 

The boy felt something snapped within him when one of his master’s friend joined his master in filling his hole. The spread was burning and painful. He screamed and cried and struggled until his voice was raw and throat was sore but his masters remained relentless. To shut him up, another of the master’s friend held his mouth open painfully and fucked himself into the boy’s mouth, choking the boy.

 

When the masters had their fun with the boy, they left him shivering and trembling in pain and fear as they locked the door behind them.

 

The raping sessions had continued for the next few days until the boy no longer fight against it. When the masters approached him, the slave laid pliant and limp and automatically spread his legs for them. The boy no longer screamed, no longer cried or struggle. He merely took in everything with a blank face, his eyes empty and staring into nothing.

 

After the masters left him bleeding and covered in slimy substances, the boy looked up at their retreating form before closing his eyes and wishing, not for the first time, that he never had to wake up again.


	2. Chapter 2: Akashi Seijuurou

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of drugs and human trafficking

**Chapter 2: Akashi Seijuurou**

Akashi Seijuurou stepped out of his car as his chauffeur bowed and then drove away. He had been assigned to this rural part of the country to find out the reason behind the village’s poverty.

 

The Akashi family is a family of businessman known for their unrivalled genius in the field of economics and business. Their influence reaches to an international level and they are trusted by the ruling family of Japan to the point they were given lands to care and develop as they please.

 

The heir to the Akashi Conglomerate, Akashi Seijuurou, was supposed to be attending Rakuzan High School, a prestigious high school in Kyoto. However, due to his incredible intelligence, his teacher had commented that there is nothing more that he could teach the boy. The high school principal had also made it an exception for Seijuurou to not attend daily lessons on the condition that he return to school for exams.

 

With all the free time that he had, he currently works as his father’s assistant, and the elder Akashi had decided to send his son to this rural part of the country to solve its poverty issues, claiming that it would be good experience for the heir.

 

The redhead ignored all the curious stares directed at him as he walked down the dusty path, looking around and committing everything he saw into memory for review when he is back in his hotel room. The villagers have all the basic necessities: clean clothes, warm food and housing. Though, the housings all look poor and a little rundown.

 

Records had shown that only one household in this area had asked for the rebuilding of their house. The young Akashi wondered what was it that made that household able to afford a renovation while the rest of the villagers were unable to pay for theirs.

 

His foot came to a halt when he reached an elegant mansion. Granted, it is nothing compared to the Akashi Mansion, but it is beautiful when compared to the other houses in the village.

 

“Excuse me,” Akashi asked when a villager walked by. “Do you happen to know about this building?”

 

“Ah, that is the mayor’s house…” She replied, looking rather apprehensive and nervous.

 

“My name is Akashi Seijuurou. I came here to do something about the condition of this village. Could you tell me more about the mayor?”

 

The villager’s eyes widened in recognition at the name before it flickered about, as if looking for something before she nodded lowly and spoke in a harsh whisper, “Yes, please come with me Akashi-sama. We will talk more in my house. Please help save this miserable village.”

 

__________

 

Akashi sat on the desk in the hotel room, papers and documents scattered all around him as he scanned through the documents one at a time.

 

The villagers were obviously scared of their mayor, and not for a good reason.

 

According to the lady he had spoken to, money from the government would always go to the mayor and never to the villagers. The mayor has a gang of yakuzas whom he used to terrorise the villagers. The villagers are expected to give sixty percent of their income to the mayor or risk having the yakuzas destroy their house and attack their families. Apparently, a few years back, an elderly man tried to go against the mayor, only to have his properties burnt and he himself killed and thrown into the lake. After such gruesome display, no one dared to defy the mayor. He had used his connections to make sure that event was never reported to the police.

 

With only forty percent of their income left to use, they tried saving up as much as they could to pay for their bills and necessities, causing them to be unable to live a much more comfortable life.

 

As it appears, harassing his people isn’t the only method he gets his money from. The corrupted mayor is involved with illegal businesses such as drugs and – Akashi clenched his teeth in annoyance and disgust – slavery.

 

Now, while the Akashi household has servants and butlers serving them, they are treated fairly and with respect, with proper pays and good food and clothing. Not to mention, their wellbeing were cared for as well. Meanwhile, slaves are not paid, not fed and not cared for generally. Slavery is something absolutely not tolerated by the Akashi family, though we digressed.

 

After talking to the lady, Akashi came to an understanding as to why the village remained in poverty – or poverty in comparison to the other villages and towns of Japan. The sole reason lies with their disgustingly corrupted poor excuse of a mayor, as he would often use the money and travel to the town areas for their casinos or to buy more slaves to serve him. How despicable.

 

The young heir then left the village with a promise to the lady that he would do something about the mayor.

 

Akashi took a deep breath and leaned back against his chair. The logical solution was to expose the mayor of his corruption and remove him from position, but that isn’t enough, in Akashi’s opinion. Removing the mayor of his position is too kind for someone who had been enslaving and threatening his people and taking part in illegal activities. He wants the mayor to be punished in the most horrible way possible.

 

Their country does not take slavery and human trafficking lightly. He is sure he can easily persuade the state to dish out whatever punishment he has in mind.

 

However, before he can do that, he needs proof; solid, physical proof of his involvement in the mentioned activity, and the scion of the Akashi family is racking his brain for clues of such activities mentioned or hinted in the documents scattered around him.

 

An idea suddenly popped into his mind and Akashi cursed himself for not thinking of it earlier. The redhead picked up his phone and dialled a number for his private investigators…

 

__________

 

One month and two weeks later, Akashi has all the physical proves that he needs. He sits on the floor of his hotel room, surrounded by photos, documents and video recordings that were burnt into a disc as he sorts out all the evidences into categories.

 

One month and two weeks is considered very fast for an investigation, especially when said investigations involved criminal activities such as drugs and human trafficking. Needless to say, Akashi is proud of his private investigators.

 

Upon receiving the location and proof of the area where human trafficking took place, Akashi immediately made copies of it and sent it to the state police to halt their activities. Within two days, all its activities and connections had been caught and stopped.

 

Now, Akashi merely needed documents for proof of the mayor’s involvement in drugs, human trafficking and the fact that he had been misusing the state’s money, which he is currently sorting them out.

 

__________

 

“Father, I have several reports to make. I have found out the reason behind the poverty case in the village you sent me to. I will send in the relevant documents by tomorrow latest. I need you to bring the documents up to the court and send the police to arrest the mayor of the village for illegal participation of…”

 

__________

 

Arresting the mayor was a piece of cake. All the documents Akashi presented during the arrest had left the disgusting man with nothing to defend himself with.

 

With those despicable men arrested, Akashi gathered all the slaves in the mansion around him. He picked the lock of the chain attached to their neck – a symbol of their life in slavery – and presented them with clean clothes and a hefty sum on money that is enough for them to live a fairly comfortable life for the rest of their lives.

 

The slaves… correction: former slaves were so shocked at the amount of money given to them that the way their eyes bulges out would have been comical if not for the dark nature of the context.

 

“Ah that’s right,” The redhead exclaimed as he held up their slavery documents in front of them.

 

“with this,” He stated as he swiftly lit up the documents into flames with a lighter, “all of you are officially free.” He smiled as he dropped the burning documents onto the ground and stepped on it until the fire extinguished and only ashes were left in its wake.

 

Instead of being excited of their newfound freedom, however, all three slaves were looking at each other with uneasy glances.

 

The Akashi heir raised a brow at their unusual responses.

 

“Um… Akashi-sama…?” The eldest of the three, a lady around her mid-thirties elaborated. “Actually, there is still one of us left here…”

 

Akashi’s eyes widened at that confession.

 

“He is the youngest amongst us… He should still be in the punishment room located in the master’s bedroom… We are not sure if he is still alive though… we haven’t seen him in weeks…”

 

Akashi silently blamed himself for his carelessness. If not for her confession, he would have unknowingly left the last slave alone to die!

 

He hurried back into the mansion, but not before sending his gratitude to the formal slave…lady.

 

“Thank you for telling me, ma’am! I’ll be sure to find him!” He promised with a firm resolution as he ran into master’s bedroom to search for the ‘punishment room’.

 

“Akashi-sama!” Another slave called after him. “If you do find him… please take care of him! The kid has been through a lot… please, if possible, teach him how a normal life should be!”

 

Akashi was stunned at that unusual and weird-sounding request but he nodded still and headed deeper into the mansion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story starts proper next chapter


	3. Chapter 3: Fated meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi met the slave boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Crude language, gruesome descriptions and descriptions of abuse, may cause triggers.

**Chapter Three: Fated meeting**

 

It was a really clever way to hide the door, Akashi had to applaud the former mayor for that. It was located in a way that you won’t be able to see it unless you head deeper into the room. Plus, it is being hidden by a thick window curtain. You really have to search for it to find the door.

 

Said door was old with torn paint and rusted at the hinge. When Akashi twisted the door knob, it was locked. Well, a locked door isn’t a problem for him anyways. Lock picking was a piece for cake for him.

 

Scooping up two twisted paper clips from his back pocket, he expertly picked the lock within a few seconds and opened the door. He was immediately greeted with a pungent scent of urine and faeces. Taking a moment to compose himself and control his urge to belch, Akashi took cautious steps down into the basement.

 

__________

 

The slave opened his eyes when he heard the door unlock. He was about to detach himself from reality when he noticed that the footsteps were different. It sounded… lighter, as opposed to his master’s loud and heavy footsteps.

 

The boy pushed himself onto shaky hands and tilted his head up a little only to see crimson. The red boy looked like his age, he seemed harmless, and the boy couldn’t sense any ill intentions from him. But one couldn’t be so sure…

 

The teal-headed slave was wary of the newcomer, yet he couldn’t take his eyes off the other boy. The boy seemed to be studying him, watching his every action and seemingly at shock for some reason. Shouldn’t the shocked one be him? After all, what business does a normal boy like him have with a lowly slave such as himself?

 

He was, however, forcefully snapped out of his trance when the red boy took a step towards him. Out of fear and instinct, the slave scrambled away from the red coloured person until his back hit the wall. Even so, he tried to push himself against the wall, futilely hoping that the wall would swallow him up.

 

The crimson boy approached him until they were about an arm’s length apart before squatting down to his knees.

 

__________

 

Akashi was astonished to see a boy around his age being locked in the basement. The boy was staring at him, seemingly cautious yet curious, and Akashi couldn’t help but to stare back.

 

 _He has very beautiful eyes…_ He found himself thinking.

 

When he took a step towards the skinny slave, said slave flinched and scurried away from him. This happened every step he took up until the boy had himself plastered against the wall.

 

Knowing that the boy is afraid of him, the redhead squatted down when he was about one arm’s length away from the boy. He observed the boy for a while before reaching a hand out to the trembling teen.

 

__________

 

The slave flinched and shut his eyes tight when he saw a hand reach out to him. His arms came up to protect his head out of instinct. His body was tensed, physically and mentally preparing himself for a beating he was so sure to receive. That is why he was startled when, instead of the pain he had expected, the hand merely rested gently against his head.

 

It’s been so long since he last had human contact that doesn't hurt. The shock had caused his trembling to stop. The slave was torn between leaning against the hand and cowering away from it. He wanted the touch; it felt great. But what if the red stranger doesn’t like it?

 

The redhead, however, saved the boy from having to make a decision by bringing his hand down to the lock that held the chain around his neck. He unclenched his other hand to reveal the same paper clips he used to pick the lock.

 

Picking the lock that chained the other boy’s neck was a slightly bit more difficult as the lock was old and rusty. Throughout the entire time when he was struggling with the lock, the slave was staring – but not exactly look in the eye – at him with his eyes wide, fearful yet curious.

 

When the lock was picked open and the chain around his neck loosened, the slave’s eyes widened even more. He had been chained for so long that he never knew it is possible to breathe in more than he could before. He no longer felt choked, he could breathe in deeper; take in more air; he felt so liberated… so free.

 

The blue-haired slave was once again brought back to reality when the pair of gentle arms wrap around him, bringing him into a nice, warm embrace.

 

“You don’t have to be afraid,” The redhead crooned. He removed his arms from the blue slave before taking off his button-up shirt, leaving him in just a T-shirt.

 

He flung his button-up over the slave, covering his bony, naked shoulders to keep some warmth in.

 

“You don’t have to be anyone’s slave anymore.”

 

The gentleman rested both hands on the other boy’s now-covered shoulders and smiled gently when the he looked up at him.

 

“You are free now.”

 

__________

 

The blue slave was a mess of confusion. The red coloured stranger was doing things to him that nobody had done before.

 

_“You don’t have to be afraid,”_

He had spoken in a very soft and kind tone. The boy was confused when the red person removed his shirt – isn’t it cold down here? – and was surprised when the shirt was flunk over his shoulders. The material felt soft and smooth over his skin, it is nothing like the rough and scratchy rag he is wearing. The moment the shirt rested around him, he felt warmer; no longer as cold.

 

_“You don’t have to be anyone’s slave anymore.”_

The slave’s mind perked a little at that.

 

 _Slave…_ He knows what that word mean. Master always used it when he was talking to his friends.

 

 _Master…_ He hadn’t seen his master in a long, long time. Did master know that this red boy had come? Or was it master who had sent him here? This stranger has really strange hair. It’s the same colour as the _thing_ that come out from his body when master hit him. He wonders if the stranger’s hair taste like metal. Red always taste like metal, for some reason. He wants to taste the stranger’s hair. He is so sure that it would taste metallic. How else would red taste like? Oh no! Could it be that master has beaten him too? Maybe that’s why his hair is that colour? But that’s so sad. The boy seemed like a nice person. He wouldn’t suddenly… snap and go crazy like master, would he?

 

The skeletal boy was pulled out of his thoughts for the third time when a pair of tender hands rested on his shoulders.

 

_It feels the same as the one on my head just now!_

The slave looked up at the red person, seeing a gentle smile spread over his face.

 

 _He looks beautiful._ Maybe an angel from haven? Had the sky finally heard his wish? He wouldn’t mind being taken away by this angel.

_“You are free now.”_

_Free…?_ What does ‘free’ mean? It sounds… nice. Is the red person going to take him somewhere nice? He wants to go! Anywhere is good as long as he gets out of here. The havens had finally come to fulfil his wish!

 

The slave started tearing up at the realisation – he is going to be free, away from this cruel world. An angel had come to take him away!

 

__________

 

Akashi wasn’t sure if the boy had understood him, especially when he started crying. But when the boy didn’t resist when he brought the blue haired teen closer to him, he took it as a sign that his words had gotten through him. After all, not flinching is a good sign, right? Wrapping an arm around his back and another around his head, Akashi tucked the boy’s head under his chin, gently rubbing his back and stroking his matted hair, absorbing all his shudders and quakes as violent sobs wracked his thin frame.

 

The two boys sat in the cold, dark basement, one holding the other until the other’s sobs died and his shaking ceased. When the slave’s breathing evened from exhaustion and fell asleep against the slightly larger teen, the room was washed over with a sudden calm.

 

Akashi heaved the skinny boy against his propped-up knee, almost losing his balance when he overestimated the weight of the other boy. The boy is so light despite almost the same size as him!

 

Now that things are calm and going well, the redhead took a good look at the boy in his arms. The exhausted boy was covered in scars and dried blood. Some wounds are not properly healed, and some stunk of infection. It’s a wonder he did not have fever from those infections. He was so skinny with skin clinging against his bone and flesh almost non-existent. He reminded him of those stickmen he saw Aomine draw during art class when they were still in Middle school. He looked down to see the boy’s poor excuse of a pair of pants caked in blood and dried urine and faeces. The scion almost puked at the thought of touching those waste.

 

Now let’s be fair, everyone. Akashi Seijuurou was a normal High School student with no experience of dealing with human wastes except his own. Even first-time parents would puke and blech and scrunch their face in disgust when changing their babies’ nappies (and touching their waste) for the first time. One shouldn’t criticise Akashi for leaning over and dry heaving onto the floor when coming into contact with human waste for the first time since he was conscious of his every action.

 

Looking around, and yes indeed, the other boy had been lying in his own waste this entire time. He was probably not taught the concept of cleanliness, and he was seriously wondering how the boy did not suffer from a fever from being in left in this highly-contaminated room with all his injuries.

 

The boy shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. No use thinking about them now. He removed the dress shirt from the boy’s shoulders to instead, cover up his front. Taking a large breath through his mouth and holding it in, Akashi gathered the smaller boy in his arms and all but rush out of that stinky hell hole.  
  
Once he was outside of that hideous mansion, Akashi released his breath and took in another – this time, it’s fresh – gulp of air, thinking to himself that he would never take clean air for granted again.

 

The redhead headed straight into a car that was waiting for him, fishing up his phone from his pocket once he was buckled up and the car had drove away to call for the Akashis’ personal doctor.

 

After seeing how the other boy acted during their encounter, Akashi felt his heart reached out to him. He wanted to show the other boy how a normal life should be. He wants the boy to experience happiness, joy, love, he wants the boy to never have to starve, never have to fear. He wants the boy to dream: yes, he’d bet the boy had never dreamt; he probably never thought of living any life other than slavery. He wants to see the boy smile, a happy, carefree smile that is free of worries and fears, and he wants to be the one who helped him achieve those things.

 

But for all of that to happen, he had to first take care of his physical health. The boy has too many scars and is far too thin, too malnourished. He would need a doctor’s help and advice to help the boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to post this a week early because it's my birthday today(2nd April) and I thought 'How about a Birthday update?' so here it is!  
> Pardon me if it made me seem like a fickle person.
> 
> The next chapter would be a bit later as I have yet to finish it.
> 
> __________________________________________________________________
> 
> Thank you for reading my story, everyone. Please do continue to support the future chapters too!


	4. Chapter 4: One step at a time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wondered if he had been too hasty in taking the boy under his wing.  
> After all, he is not equipped with the handle a case as special as his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Brief descriptions of abuse, may cause triggers.
> 
> All characters are probably very OOC(out of characters), but I made sure to have them as in-character as possible given the circumstances of the story and the universe they are in.

**Chapter Four: One step at a time**

Akashi Seijuurou sat on the edge of the mattress, his body twisted to observe the sleepy form of the formal slave.

 

The Akashi family’s personal doctor was away for an oversea seminar, so he had his replacement come in his place. The replacement doctor had disinfected and treated his wounds. The boy now looked like a mummy, being covered in wide bandages and plasters after he was given a shower to clean his body.

 

The redhead heaved a sigh. According to the doctors, the boy’s wound would fully heal with proper care. Most scars would disappear with time, except for the more ragged and improperly healed scars. Any damaged made to the skin or nerves are unknown until the scars are fully healed. Meanwhile, the wounds are still very prone to infections, so Akashi would have to clean and change his bandages regularly.

 

The doctor had also given Akashi a list of foods for the boy that would help him gain more muscles. If he eats properly, he predicted that the boy would be displaying prove of weight gain in three to four months and be of normal weight in two to three years. The heir immediately passed the list to the head butler to be handled to the cook.

 

The boy’s physical health is not much of an issue. What is worrisome to Akashi, is his mental health.

 

The boy had never received education of any kind. This cause him to fall far behind in terms of linguistics and cognitive development. There is what scientists who had studied early childhood development refers to as the sensitive period for children development, where it is said that children are most sensitive to stimulus up till the age of three to six. During that period, linguistic and cognitive learning is essential for a child to grow up normally and be able to function and communicate well.

 

For example, children learn during infancy that they can trust their caretaker to care for them, to protect them. Children who grew up without a proper guardian would grow up thinking that no one would care about them.

 

Brain development is also most active from around the time of infancy to the age of six. It is during that period where children learned the quickest, and develop skills they need for the future, skills such as communications, emotions and social interactions.

 

The boy had been sold to slavery at a very young age. With improper environment, he could not develop much of the above-mentioned skills, and it is especially hard to teach him now that he is a teenager, where his development has stabilised.

 

In addition to his delayed development, the teal-head had been through obvious trauma. Wounds on his skin had suggested that he had been beaten with a riding crop, with the whip breaking through the skin and tearing his flesh apart. Some straighter, deeper cuts suggested slashing, and the white, powdery stuff around his wounds showed that his abuser had sprinkled salt on him. Lastly, the tearing in the walls of his anus and rectum gave rise to only one conclusion: rape.

 

Given all that he had suffered, the doctors aren’t sure that he can make a full recovery mentally and overcome his delayed development. If anything, doctors deemed him a lost cause.

 

Akashi ruffled the sleeping boy’s hair one last time before heading out for some fresh air.

 

He wanted the boy to know about love and kindness, let him know the taste of happiness, the feeling of having warm food in his stomach. He wants him to know that there is more to life besides slavery. Was he being too hasty in taking the boy under his wing?

 

__________

 

The teal headed teen woke up to a darkened room with nice smelling air. He looked around and realised that he was in what master would call a ‘room’. He was lying on something soft and nice and the paints on the walls were clean and blue and calming.

 

He looked down at himself to see long, white stretchy things around his body. Those white things were touching his injuries, but he felt no pain…that is until he wriggled a little and felt burning pain _down there_. It was just a dull, burning pain though, nothing like the sharp, intense pain he had experienced. Plus, he smelled nice!

 

He thought hard on how he got here. He recalled meeting a red coloured angel. The angel was nice to him. It didn’t hurt at all when the it touched him, and it wrapped him in warm arms when water dripped out of his eyes. His master never liked it when water comes out from there, so he had always tried to hide it. On most days, he was successful, but on some days, the water just came out and no matter what he did, it wouldn’t stop – just like when he was with the angel. But the angel didn’t hit him when water came out of his eyes. It just wrapped around him nice and warm until the waters stopped dripping and it was so comfortable he fell asleep.

 

He felt his blood run cold and a sense of dread filled him. What if it was just a dream? He raised a shaky hand to touch at his neck. No chain. Not a dream then? In that case, where’s the red angel? He wants to see it.

 

He slid off the bed to find his ‘angel’, only to collapse after taking a few steps. He tried to push himself up, but his legs were shaking so much that he barely stood up halfway before falling onto the ground again. His body was too weak. Determined to see the angel, he crawled his way around instead.

 

__________

 

Akashi heard a muffled thud as he was working on his school assignments. He was searching for the source of the noise when he realised that it came from the room the teen was resting in. Akashi wasn’t sure what to expect when he opened the door, but seeing the teal-hair boy crawl towards his direction was something he definitely wasn’t expecting. He immediately rushed into the room and cradled the boy in his arms to take the burden off the boy’s knees.

 

Upon being lifted, the skinny teen gazed at the redhead for a while before lifting a finger to shyly poke at his cheeks, wanting to make sure that Akashi was real.

 

Akashi was stunned at the gesture and stared at the boy in return, a small part of his mind uselessly supplying about how cute that action was.

 

He quickly shook out of that thought and smiled down at the curious boy in his arms.

 

“You must be hungry. Come on, lunch is ready.”

 

His gaze on the redhead remained steady.

 

__________

 

Akashi settled the boy onto a chair before heading to the kitchen to retrieve lunch that his cook had prepared, the boy staring at him the entire time. It was a weekend, so the staff were free to do as they please so long as their basic chores were complete.

 

Akashi placed a bowl of rice and a small plate of specially prepared food for him before taking the tray that was for himself. He slotted a spoon and chopsticks into the boy’s hands before settling himself in his own seat to start his food.

 

“Let’s eat.”

 

The other boy spied on Akashi for a long while before looking at his own food and then at Akashi again. He brought his face closer to the bowl of rice and nibbled a tiny bit of it, gauging Akashi’s reaction. When he saw that Akashi did not react violently to him eating food, he left the spoon and chopsticks on the table in favour of using his own hands to eat. The teen grabbed handful of rice and other dishes, uncaring of the slight burn it gave to his hand. He quickly stuffed them into his mouth, determined to eat as much as he could before Akashi changed his mind about giving him food.

 

Akashi was shocked at the other boy’s eating habits. He hadn’t expected the other gobble them up like no tomorrow. Then again, he supposed that to the boy, he would try to eat as much as he could since he wouldn’t know when he would be fed next.

 

He was worried. While it is natural to eat quickly when you are hungry, eating too quickly would cause the body to be unable to register the amount of food that had been taken in. Since it takes about twenty minutes or so for the stomach to tell the brain that you are full, by the time the brain received the message that the stomach is full, the boy would already have overeaten.

 

In addition to the likeliness of choking, poor digestion and possibility of stomach gas, Akashi believed that it had been a while since the boy had eaten. Who knows how his stomach would react when, after long periods of no food, it suddenly received an onslaught of food to digest.

 

Well, likely the boy would vomit them all out, but he is also afraid of the possibility of his stomach lining being torn in the process. He needed the boy to slow down.

 

The redhead placed his chopsticks down and raised a hand to stop the boy.

 

“Hey…” He started.

 

At the slightest movement from the heir, the teal-coloured boy flinched and got off from the chair, retreating until his back hit the cabinet and sank to the floor, all the while covering his mouth with both hands.

 

He knew it. He knew that something bad would happen once he eats. There is no way the red colour person would be so nice as to let him eat. But at least he got to stuff as much as he could before he gets a beating… Fear overcame him and felt his stomach churning and twisting uncomfortably…

 

Not knowing anything about the other boy’s thoughts, the redhead slid off his chair to approach the other male.  


“Hey, it’s alright, I am not going to hurt you.” He cooed. “You should eat slowly, if you eat too fast, you might—”

 

Before the redhead finished his sentence, the other teen turned and heaved onto the cemented floor.

 

Horrified at what he had done, and in front of the red person no less, the boy tried to cup the vomit on the floor with his hands, bringing them up to swallow them, all the while chanting ‘Sorry, sorry, sorry’.

 

Akashi had never witness a more revolting scene than that. The other boy had vomited out his food, only to try to swallow it back in. What on earth had that heinous creature of a mayor done to the boy to make him act like that?!

 

It took him a while before he could react, but when he did, Akashi swooped in and caught the boy by the wrist, preventing him from scooping any more of his vomit up. His failed to register just how tightly he was holding the boy. His wrists were likely to bruise after this.

 

Akashi quickly called for the maids before turning his attention back to the boy. The other male wouldn’t stop fighting and struggling against his grip. Throughout the entire time the maids were cleaning his hands and the floor, the poor boy was wailing and screaming strings of ‘Sorry-s’ to the point of his own voice breaking.

 

When the floor was cleaned of puke and the maids had left, Akashi secured the struggling boy into his arms. This only made the skinny teen struggle harder and cry louder, but to prevent the boy from hurting himself, Akashi held on tightly, all the while the teen sobbed and cried against his chest, mumbling redundant apologies repeatedly.

 

His reactions made Akashi felt like the biggest asshole of all time even though it wasn’t his fault, and that only fuelled his hatred for the disgusting ex-mayor.

 

The two boys stayed like that on the kitchen floor for a long time, one sobbing and flailing while the other humming lullabies that he had heard as a child.

 

Eventually, the smaller boy’s struggles weakened until he became limp from exhaustion and slumped against the larger male and only then did the redhead loosened his hold over the boy.

 

Akashi kept humming a tune and stroking the boy’s soft and no-longer-matted hair as the other leaned against him and gasped and hacked from his crying fit.

 

The cook entered the kitchen after being informed by the maids, took one look at the situation before lowly murmuring to Akashi about preparing a nutritious porridge for the boy.

 

Akashi dipped his head in gratitude before carrying the teary-eyed teen back into his room.

 

__________

 

When the blue teen was finally calmed, Akashi decided to try a round-two with the food. This time, however, he spoon-fed the boy, blowing to make sure that the porridge was not too hot and that the boy had swallow properly before giving him another spoonful.

 

He gently pushed a spoon of chicken porridge against the other boy’s mouth. The boy was initially reluctant to open his mouth, not wanting to puke and risk the wrath of Akashi. He, however, conceded when it seemed like Akashi isn’t going to relent. The teen opened his mouth rather hesitantly and closed around the spoon when the redhead pushed it in. He stared at the redhead, seemingly unsure about what was expected of him. Akashi gave a kind smile before tilting the spoon up, allowing its contents to spill into the boy’s mouth and then gently tugging the spoon out, all the while closely observing the other boy’s reaction.

 

When the contents spilt into his mouth, the famished teen’s first reaction was to swallow it. He was astonished when the warm porridge glide smoothly down his throat into his stomach. He could literally feel the trail of warmth heading down, leaving warmth and comfort in its wake. His eyes widened as he perked up at that feeling. It was unlike anything he had felt before. All that had entered his mouth before were hard and cold and he always had a difficult time swallowing, but this… half-water-half-not-water food flowed down his throat without a problem, warming up his insides. The boy licked his lips and tasted the food in his mouth. Deciding that the ‘water-not-water’ food is his all-time favourite, the boy brightened and look up at Akashi, shyly pleading for more. Akashi chuckled and complied, more than happy to give it to him.

 

And so, both boys formed a pattern during their second attempt at food: Akashi making sure the boy was really finished and that the porridge isn’t too hot it would scald the tongue, and boy constantly edging Akashi for more by opening his mouth wide, sometimes with an adorable yet quiet ‘Ah…’

 

It was a long and slow process, but eventually, the other boy finished his porridge. The look of contentment and bliss on his face after having warm food in his stomach for the first time was heart-wrenching but rewarding to Akashi, and he found himself thinking that maybe, caring for the boy wasn’t as hard as he had initially thought.

 

He just need to tackle each issue patiently and a step at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the moment, Kuroko is still being addressed as 'the boy'. I have checked through the chapter a few times to ensure that there won't be a mix up between referring to Akashi and referring to Kuroko.
> 
> Any comments are appreciated.
> 
> If there are anything that you would like to see in this story, do mention it in the comments.  
> If it is possible, I would add it into the plot :)


	5. Chapter 5: Doubts and trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi wondered how he could get the boy to trust him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Crude language, and descriptions of abuse and neglect, may cause trigger, mentions of drug usage, drug abuse and drug addiction

**Chapter Five: Doubts and trust**

The incident the day before provided insights to Akashi – the boy had said ‘sorry’, showing that he was exposed to language and had understood the meaning of the word. Granted, it was only one word, but the fact that he had known words meant that it would not be completely impossible for him to master the language. Though for now, he needed the other to trust him and for him to speak more.

 

Akashi had also noticed that he had never once addressed the boy by his name since he first found him. After raiding the mansion and comparing documents with those he acquired from the slave trading site, Akashi had discovered the boy’s identity and the circumstances that lead to his involvement in slavery.

 

However, as mentioned before, Akashi wanted to build trust between them, which led to the current situation: The boy in bed and Akashi sitting facing him. He wanted to hear about the boy’s opinions, wanted to know what the boy preferred to be called. It is a very important first step to make in their journey of trust building.

 

“Hey… what do you preferred to be called?” Akashi questioned gently.

 

The boy tilted his head, not understanding the question.

 

“What is your name?” He tried again.

 

“Nameeee…” The other repeated, staring blankly.

 

“What does your… master—” The redhead forced himself to use that word, “—calls you?” He pointed a finger at the boy to illustrate his point.

 

“Master…calls me?” The boy thought hard about it before his face showed signs of recognition. “Fuck toy!” He proudly exclaimed, happy to be able to give Akashi an answer.

 

Akashi internally flinched at that reply. ‘Fuck toy’ is demeaning and is definitely not a name. He is _not_ calling him that.

 

The redhead cleared his throat. “…Tetsuya.”

 

And the boy perked up at that unfamiliar term, “Te…tsuya…”

 

Akashi nodded and smiled, “That right,” he reached out to tap at the boy’s nose. “that’s you. You are Tetsuya.”

 

“Tetsuya…” The other boy looked down at himself as he mumbled those words, trying it out in his mouth.

 

“Tetsuya!” Tetsuya exclaimed, waving his arms about excitedly and giving Akashi a blinding smile.

 

“Tetsuya?” He asked, pointing at Akashi and tilting his head again.

 

Akashi noted that the boy knows how to intonate his words. Akashi smiled and shook his head, reaching for the hands again to point at himself.

 

“Seijuurou,” He explained.

 

Tetsuya’s brows furrowed. “Uuu-roll?”

 

The red-haired boy chuckled. “Nope, try again. Sei-juu-rou.”

 

The teal-head frowned really hard. “Ssssse—uuu—rou?” His head dipping at every syllable that was released.

 

Akashi huffed in amusement. “Repeat after me. Sei—”

 

“Sei!”

 

“—juu—”

 

“Juu—?”

 

“—rou—”

 

“—rou!”

 

“Now say it together. Seijuurou.”

 

Tetsuya looked down at his mouth as it was shaping itself to form words, as if doing so can help him speak.

 

“Ssss-uuu-wo… -suro? Ssss—!”

 

Akashi couldn't hold back a laughter. “Too much of a mouth full? One step at a time then!” It was pretty hilarious to see him concentrate so hard just to say his name, Tetsuya’s face was frowning in intense concentration.

 

“Juurou!” Tetsuya suddenly declared, pointing at Akashi. “Juu! Rou!”

 

Akashi shook his head and smiled at the teal boy in amusement. “Add a ‘Sei’ in front and you will be correct. Sei-juu-rou.”

 

“Juurou!”

 

“Seijuurou,”

 

“Juurou!”

 

“Sei—”

 

“Juurou!” Tetsuya interrupted, slapping his hands over his mouth and staring wide eyed with fear at Akashi when he realised what he just did. He had interrupted the redhead. Master always hates it when he got interrupted. Would the Juurou hate him now?

 

Tetsuya was astonished when he saw that Akashi’s shoulders were shaking from suppressed laughter. “Alright, alright, suit yourself.” Akashi laughed. He learnt that the other boy could be surprisingly stubborn if he wants to. Akashi isn’t one to relent, but he would concede this time. He will have to get used to being called ‘Juurou’ by the teal-head…for now.

 

Said teal-head continued to stare at the laughing Akashi, befuddled.

 

__________

 

Things had been going well between them. After learning both his and Akashi’s name, the boy had been chanting ‘Tetsuya’ and ‘Juurou’ over and over again. Akashi was happy that the other seemed to have opened up a bit, seeing his loquaciousness as a sign that he was feeling at ease with Akashi. The redhead had thought that they were making progress, that was, until bath time where whatever progress they had made seemed to dissolve into nothingness.

 

There were no obvious signs. Tetsuya had been singing his and Akashi’s name the entire time Akashi was leading him to the bathroom. He had even told the other boy that they were going for a shower after being informed by the maids that the water was ready. Tetsuya had not shown any signs of discomfort or distress even when Akashi was undressing him, that was until he started removing the other boy’s shorts then he froze and became completely silent.

 

Akashi looked up upon realising that the boy had stopped singing their names, wondering what was it that had caught his attention. He eyes widened when he saw that the boy was staring down into nothingness, eyes clouded with fear and entire body stiff.

 

“Tetsuya…?” Akashi cautiously asked.

 

The boy immediately collapsed onto the ground without making a noise.

 

The teal-head’s sudden silence and unresponsiveness were scaring the redhead.

 

“Hey… Tetsuya…” Akashi said, bringing a hand forward to touch the unmoving boy.

 

Before the heir touched him, however, the boy immediately leaned back to lie on the cold bathroom floor, spreading his bandaged legs wide, showing his abused, swollen hole to the extremely confused boy, and staring at him with blank, emotionless eyes.

 

“…” Akashi was left completely speechless and dumbfounded. Did Tetsuya think that Akashi is going to rape him?

 

Akashi’s first reaction to Tetsuya’s position was to raise the boy up from the floor and close his legs together. He settled himself on the floor and cradled the boy to his body, his heart aching when the boy remained limp and unmoving.

 

Wrapping an arm around his lower back and the other on the nape, Akashi rocked the detached boy back and forth while humming the same lullaby from the lunch incident, hoping to bring Tetsuya out of his stupor[i] state.

 

It took them almost an hour, both boys sitting on the floor and the red head humming until his throat was dry and tired. When the teal-headed boy came back to reality, he was surprised that Akashi has not made a move at him. Hesitantly, the boy looked up at Akashi, his face conveying his fear and wariness.

 

Akashi’s heart lurched painfully at that. “Hey…” He smiled unsteadily, bringing up a hand to caress Tetsuya’s cheeks. Feeling the kindness and concern that was conveyed through the contact, the boy in his arms burst into tears, leaning into Akashi’s hand and clinging desperately onto his shirt.

 

The redhead quietly shushed him, rubbing his back and burying his face into the boy’s hair.

 

“Did you really think I would do _that_ , you silly, silly boy.”

 

__________

 

When Tetsuya had calmed down, Akashi carried him up to sit on the basin and slowly removed the bandages covering him while the other had his hands buried into his red locks of hair. When his hands ventured close to his thighs, the smaller boy would tense and tighten his hold on the red locks, providing Akashi with hints of his discomfort. Whenever Akashi felt his hair being tugged, he would pause all actions and shush the up boy, assuring him that everything would be fine and only continue when the grip on his hair loosened.

 

The actual showering was a bit more difficult, as it involved actually touching the teal head in intimate places. When Akashi lowered the boy into the lukewarm bathtub, the boy had immediately twisted his body to hold onto Akashi shirt. The heir let him, choosing instead to wash the boy’s body clean, taking extra care of his wounds. If the wounds got too painful or that he was uncomfortable with where Akashi was touching him, Tetsuya would hide his face into Akashi’s shirt and whimpered in fear. The redhead would, like before, halt all activities to instead cradle his head against him, stroking his head and murmuring comforts and humming lullabies to him until he was ready.

 

And so, this pattern repeated for the next hour or so, including the drying up and re-bandaging. Unbeknownst to the redhead, his patience was to first step Tetsuya trusting him.

 

__________

 

At night after Akashi had tucked the boy into the bed, Akashi headed back into his room to do some reading to clear his mind. He wondered if it was too soon for him to call it a progress in their relationship. Clearly, the boy still saw Akashi as being somewhat similar to the mayor. He wondered what he should do to show that he and the mayor are completely different. Deciding that he won’t be getting much reading done, Akashi placed his book on the night stand and switching the night lamp off before turning over and went to sleep.

__________

 

_He was never given much physical contact. No pats on the head or hugs like he had seen mothers do to their children. He was also too scared to ask master for some. ‘Slaves shouldn’t ask for much’, master had said. He has no idea what it meant exactly, but he was sure he couldn’t look for master for his needs. Which was why, when master first initiated a pat on the head for a job well done, he became determined to do whatever it takes to please his master to receive more touch. And when his scoundrel of a master realised that, he began to use the boy to his advantage._

_It started out innocently… or as innocent as it gets when you made a child do harsh physical labour. Master had made him carry heavy items and rice back when he went out for groceries, and he would get a head pat or hair ruffle when he completed the job._

_Somehow, that had gone from physical labour to touching him at uncomfortable places. “Don’t many any noise and I will reward you” he said. And so, he lets master touch him in places that makes him feel weird. Like his thighs and nipples and the places near his crotch. Tetsuya didn’t like it, but for the sake of getting the physical contact that he so wished, he endured it, shutting his eyes tight and forcing himself not to voice any protest._

_After the touches came the white, powdery stuff. Master told him to inhale and snort them in, ‘Don’t choke on it, and don’t vomit it out; don’t waste them, they are expensive’, and so Tetsuya swallowed his vomit when he felt them coming up his throat. When he heaved nothing but air and saliva out, his master ruffled his hair. “Good boy,” he had praised. “good boy.”_

_He was made to inhale those white powdery stuffs on a daily basis for the next few month, and before he knew it, he craved for it more than anything else. On days where he is lucid, master would make him go out to complete his usual chores and reward him with those powder. On days where he is in a dazed sate, master would inject some brown stuff into him. He vaguely recalled master calling those stuff…’heroes’… or ‘heroines **[ii]**’. He supposed it made sense. He knew what heroes are. They save people. Tetsuya needed those white stuffs to survive; to feel good. So those white things are his heroes._

_That is, until that fateful crepe incident that had gotten him thrown into the punishment room that his white powdery heroes were never to be seen again. His master had started hitting, beating, whipping, kicking and slashing him until he was in too much pain to move. Then, his master would leave him alone in that dark place. He just wanted to rest, but the feat proved to be too difficult when his body felt uncomfortable all over. He felt like vomiting, and he body was weak and shaking. His muscles trembled for no apparent reason, and his stomach hurt. Sometimes, he felt a strange burning sensation of want inside him, and sometimes he felt cold like ice. No matter what he felt, he would always be sweating and trembling on the floor, confused, anxious, scared and so, so tired._

_His master would visit him on occasions, giving him food that he would sometime be unable to stomach, or just to vent his anger by whipping him. But the boy was too weak to resist; he was too tired to even shield himself, so he just laid there, absorbing whatever master had in stall for him._

_It was only a week or so, but it felt like years to him, when his trembling and all finally stopped. A few days or so after calm had descended upon him, his master visited him again, this time with his friends as well._

_He approached and squatted next to him. “Hey fuck toy.” He grinned, stroking his hair, and Tetsuya can smell some disgustingly sweet scent emitting from his mouth. He resisted the urge to blech but instead, lean into the touch. How long has it been since he last had that kind of contact?_

_“It’s time to use you for what you are.”_

_All was hell after that, and Tetsuya found himself wishing that he would never wake up._

__________

 

Akashi woke up to some thudding sounds in his room. It was strange because the maids were given specific instructions not to loiter around the second floor unless it was to clean the room – and no one in their right mind would clean a room in the middle of the night. Akashi also knew it wouldn’t be a thief; even though this is merely a branch house, security is still as tight as the main house. No thief would be able to get in.

 

Akashi rolled over when he heard another thud and felt his bed moved. He peered over the edge of his bed to find the culprit, only to see a small struggling teal lying on the floor near the bed. When had the boy entered his room? Akashi is a light sleeper, so he would have woken up at the slightest sound. The fact that the boy had opened his door, closed his door and slept on the floor beside his bed was a testament to how silent and stealthy he had been, almost like a phantom. That said, what is the boy doing, sleeping on the floor? He resisted the urge to sigh and slipped off the bed to squat beside the tiny ball of teal.

 

If he wanted Akashi neared him, he should have just said so. The boy did not even bring along a blanket or a pillow. He would catch a cold at that rate. The balled-up teen was wiggling about and Akashi wondered if he was having a nightmare. As if on cue, Tetsuya released a soft whimper and kicked against his bed again, seemingly struggling against something in his sleep. Upon a closer observation showed that the boy was crying.

 

The redhead immediately tapped a firm but gentle hand on the other boy’s shoulder, startling the boy out of his nightmare. The blue boy stared at Akashi with fear and wariness, but Akashi simply tugged the boy closer to his chest, the boy thrashed widely but sobbed without a sound.

 

 _Tetsuya… have you been told not to make a sound even if you cry?_ Akashi wondered bitterly. _He probably wanted comfort but was too afraid to ask…_

“It’s alright, Tetsuya.” Akashi cooed. “Cry it all out, I am here.”

 

Unable to silent his sobs any longer, Tetsuya started wailing, still slapping a hand over his mouth in an attempt to silence them and flinching away from Akashi.

 

_The poor boy is too scared to make even the slightest noise._

Akashi hugged the trembling boy tightly, the boy’s legs splayed on each side, a hand caressing and playing with the hair at his nape, trying his hardest to calm the terrified boy down.

 

“Shh… you are alright, you will be fine. I am here now, Tetsuya.” Akashi whispered into his ear, but still the boy wouldn’t stop crying and thrashing about.

 

When Akashi started humming the lullaby, however, the other boy immediately stopped thrashing and instead, laid limp against the redhead. His sobs, too, died down to mere sniffles.

 

Seeing as the lullaby worked wonders on the teal boy, Akashi continued humming until all trembles stopped and the sniffles ended and the boy was breathing softly against his chest.

 

Akashi lifted the boy up into the bed with him and tuck them both in. When the boy turned over to face Akashi, close but not touching, Akashi granted his unspoken wishes by bringing an arm around them, cuddling the boy closer to him.

 

“Juurou…” The boy mumbled brokenly as he tightened his hold on the redhead and fell asleep.

 

Akashi smiled down at the boy he was cuddling with. He played the other’s hair a little longer, ensuring that he was deep into dreamland before he, too, drifted off.

 

It might not seem like much, but when the boy stopped thrashing the moment he hummed the lullaby, Akashi no longer doubt about the fact that there is trust building between them. What happened just now was prove of that, and Akashi is confident of the future to come.

 

 _____________________________________________________

 

[i] Stupor in this case refers to his unresponsiveness and detachment to reality, not the medical term stupor which refers to a casualty’s level of consciousness

 

[ii] The drug is called Heroin.

 

Notes:

  1. My parent used to be a nanny so I have a lot of experience with infants and toddlers. Children, or at least those whom I had watched over, often get excited when they learn something new and would try to ‘show their knowledge off’ to others. In Kuroko’s case, learning about his and Akashi’s name is a knowledge he would like to show off to everyone.



 

  1. When I was younger, I used to think that Heroin was good for you because…well, it has ‘hero’ as part of its name…



 

  1. I am always the second person the kids look for for comfort, the first being my mother, who was their caretaker. On days when they were crying because my mother had scolded them for doing something they know they shouldn’t, they would run to me for comfort. Humming a song worked wonders for those kids; they stopped crying immediately. The song I hummed back then was Scarborough Fair and Kimi wo nosete.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot is advancing, at a turtle pace.


	6. Chapter 6: Like a Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Working with Tetsuya is a lot like working with a child, Akashi had realised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Crude language, mentions of human waste and incontinence.  
> Possible OOCness

**Chapter Six: Like a child**

Working with Tetsuya is a lot like working with a child, Akashi had realised. You need to be patient and encouraging, and ready to assist at any step of the way. And when results or improvements are shown, the sense of satisfaction and pride is there. Akashi wondered if his mother had felt that way as she raised him from infancy.

Weeks had passed since the nightmare incident, and Tetsuya had been sleeping with Akashi ever since then. Whenever Tetsuya gets a nightmare, which is almost every night, his flailing would wake Akashi up, who would, in turn, wake him up. Tetsuya would always end up trembling and tearing and seeking comfort that Akashi would give, and both boys would stay in that embrace until both woke up the next day.

 

The teal boy had also come to trust Akashi more than anyone else in the household. He followed Akashi wherever he went, like a duckling following its mother. While he would run around the household, he would never fail to come back to Akashi after a few minutes. The Akashi household had squealed at his cuteness, joking about how ‘Tetsuya-san was imprinted on young master Akashi’. When Tetsuya feels daring, he would reach a hand out to grip on to the heir’s shirt to stay closer to him, and that particular action often drove the maids insane with cuteness.

 

The boy had also become more tolerant of stranger coming near him, but only with Akashi within his sight, though he would only accept Akashi’s touch. It didn’t bother the heir as he figured he should be proud of how far their trust had come instead of being disappointed in the other boy’s shortcomings. Besides, the boy had been anything but a disappointment. Unfortunately, the boy’s attachment would also mean that Akashi had to be around with the boy whenever there are strangers in the house. Like now, where he is sitting with the trembling boy clinging tightly onto him when he should be writing reports for his graded assignment.

 

Tetsuya whined and buried his head into Akashi’s shirt as Doctor Midorima prodded the wounds at his inner thighs.

 

“Juurou…” He whimpered pitifully.

 

“My apologies, Tetsuya-kun, please bear with me a little longer,” The Akashi family’s personal doctor apologised as he continued to prod at the wounds with a gloved hand before cleaning it with a disinfectant cream.

 

The teal-head was currently lying on the bed with his head supported by Akashi’s thighs, face buried deep into the redhead’s hips as his thighs were forced to open to accommodate Dr Midorima and his ‘cleaning services’.

 

The green haired middle-aged man had visited the Akashi branch house frequently enough for the blue haired boy to know that he meant no harm. Apart from the sting that comes with the annoying prodding and cleaning of wounds, Dr Midorima had yet to do anything harmful to him.

 

However, no matter how many times they had been through this wound-cleaning procedure, Tetsuya wouldn’t relax. Spreading his legs with someone between him could only mean one thing to Tetsuya and that is rape. He is unable to feel safe with someone between him.

 

The former slave let out another whimper and tightened his hold on Akashi’s shirt when the green haired doctor prodded the stitches of one of the deeper and more painful scars.

 

“Shush now, Tetsuya,” Akashi patiently soothed the other boy. “You will be fine, I promise.”

 

Well, Tetsuya isn’t completely naked down there though. Sure, his pants and boxes were removed so that Dr Midorima could work on his thighs, but he was still wearing his pull-ups, which were soaked from urine, so he technically isn’t completely naked. That, at least, put him at a little bit of ease.

 

“Alright, alright, I am done here, Tetsuya-kun.” Dr Midorima commented as he patted the teal on the knees and removed his gloves and dumped the gloves, used cotton swabs and plastic forceps into a disposable plastic bag stuck at the side of the bed[i].

 

“His wounds are healing pretty nicely, Seijuurou-kun.” The doctor said, turning to face the Akashi heir. “Give it another week or so and they should be closed.”

 

Akashi nodded his head silently, stroking the teal hair and trying to calm the owner of said hair for the next check-up which he knew would distress him so.

 

Dr Midorima slipped on another glove before reaching towards the hem of Tetsuya’s pull-ups, feeling the boy tense below him.

 

“Tetsuya, I am going to remove your pants to see how well you are healing down there, alright?” He spoke softly and slowly so that the teal boy would understand.

 

The doctor tore apart the boy’s soaked pull-ups, holding it in his palms and feeling the weight of the urine it had absorbed before placing it aside and disposing of his gloves. He slipped on a new pair again to prod at his still swollen anus.

 

Feeling someone touching his hole, the boy wiggled and tried to push himself away from the prodding hands but gave up after a while, making no effort to close his legs. Remembering his raping incidents and thinking that it is going to happen again, Tetsuya hugged onto Akashi tightly, whimpering as a few tears leaked out of his tightly shut eyes.

 

“Juurou… Juurou… no…”  
  
Akashi leaned over the boy, as if shielding the trembling boy from all the evils of the world. “I am here, Tetsuya, I am here. It will be over soon,” he assured.

 

Urine leaked out of the distressed boy as the green haired doctor was checking, causing it to flow over to his gloved fingers. The doctor hardly bat an eyelid, taking it in stride and merely reaching away to grab a wipe to clean it when the pee dribbled down the boy.

 

When Dr Midorima had seen enough, he applied a cooling cream onto the boy’s anus before pulling away and immediately felt the boy below him relaxed a little. He removed his gloves once more as Akashi wrapped the boy in blankets, hoping it would help the boy feel safer.

 

Tetsuya instantly relaxes, turning his body such that it is facing Akashi and snuggling up to the redheaded teen.

 

“How is it, Midorima-sensei?” Akashi asked softly after patting the boy on the back.

 

“The recovery speed for the tearing of his anus is rather slow, though that is not too surprising due to how much germs the anus contains.” The doctor sighed and responded in an equally soft tone. “He would probably still feel pain when passing motion. I will get you a new type of wound cream with cooling properties, seeing as the one you are using is finishing. It should speed up healing and desensitize the nerves it around the wounds enough for him to defecate without too much pain,” he explained, waving a different tube of cream to illustrate his point.

 

“Thank you, Mr Midorima,” Akashi dipped his head in thanks.

 

The doctor waved it away. “Tetsuya seemed to trust you a lot now. He had been a bit more vocal compared to the last time I saw him too.”

 

“Yeah,” Akashi agreed. “he isn’t that much of a lost cause as your replacement said he was, doctor.”

 

“Ah about that,” Dr Midorima raised both hands as if placating. “I apologise on behalf of that replacement. I had already given him a long lecture about his choice of words.”

 

Akashi smiled. “Apologies accepted,” he responded coolly.

 

“Now, I would like to discuss about Tetsuya’s incontinence…”

 

__________

 

It could be that he had never learnt to, or perhaps his confinement underground had caused his bladder to weaken, but since coming to the Akashi branch house with Akashi, Tetsuya hadn’t been able to hold his bladder. Akashi had tried teaching him but he still had so many accidents that the redhead had him wear pull-ups at night and training pants in the morning for the sake of the household maids.

 

Based on the all the trends, Akashi had concluded that Tetsuya is unable to control his bladder at night and during situations which would cause him stress. According to the doctor, his inability to control his defecation could be due to injuries in the anus. As defecating would be difficult and painful for him, he might choose to hold it in until the very last moment. As for his urinal incontinence, however, Dr Midorima couldn’t find anything wrong with him, so it was suspected to be a psychological thing. That, or he had simply forgotten how to hold it in after so long. For now, they hope that the use of cream could help Tetsuya defecate easier.

 

Akashi followed Dr Midorima to the gate, where the green haired doctor left with the promise of sending someone down to deliver the cream. He turned to walk back to the door of the mansion, but just before he entered the household, he caught a hue of teal from the corner of his eyes.

 

The redhead approached to see what the teal was up to, but all he saw was said teal squatting in the garden and digging a hole. The Akashi heir felt his eyes bulge out when he saw the teal pull down his pants and everything to—

 

“Stop!!!” Akashi exclaimed, startling the other boy into holding his urine in.

 

“Juurou…?” The boy questioned, utterly confused.

 

“Not here!” The scion yelled, tugging the boy to stand and pulling his pants up before leading him into the mansion to a ‘proper toilet’.

 

“Do it here, Tetsuya.” Akashi instructed as he led the boy into a toilet before heading out and closing the door behind him. He leaned against the wall beside the door, waiting for the boy to be finished with his business.

 

There was about three minutes of silence before a shy and unsure ‘Juurou?’ sounded from the toilet.

 

‘Juurou’ slide open the door and enter the toilet, only to find the confused teal standing at the exact same spot he was left in.

 

Akashi sighed in slight exasperation. “Do it there, Tetsuya.” He instructed again, pointing at the toilet bowl.

 

Unsure of what was expected of him, the mass of confusion that is the teal frowned and look from the redhead to the toilet bowl and back to the teal again before squirming on the spot.

 

The Akashi heir had to hold back the urge to face palm himself.

 

He approached the teal and grabbed the other boy by the shoulder, turning him around such that the teal’s back is facing him and gently guiding the boy right in front of the toilet bowl. He pulled down the boy’s pants and slowly brought the boy’s hands to support his penis, aiming it at the toilet bowl.  
  
“D-Do it here,” Akashi repeated, swallowing his awkwardness and forcing his blush down. _Like a child,_ He forced himself to think, _like a child…_

 

There is a bit of a lag time before the sound of urinating can be heard in the toilet. When Tetsuya is done, the boy immediately turned around to squat on the floor.

 

Akashi stared at the boy, stunned before realisation hit him and he squawked (it’s a very manly squawk, mind you) and pulled the boy up by the armpits before sitting him on the toilet bowl again.

 

“Do that here as well,” he explained when the boy looked at him confused.

 

Thankfully, the cream seemed to do its job as Tetsuya doesn’t seem to be in that much of a pain. When he was done, the teal got off the seat and look at Akashi. “Tetsuya… did good?” He asked, a little unsure.

 

Akashi couldn’t help but smile. He is just like a child, looking to please and wanting encouragement.

 

“Yes,” Akashi praised, ruffling his hair as the boy shut his eyes and let out a pleased sound. “You did great, Tetsuya, I am proud of you.”

 

The teal boy did a happy squeal before making a dash out of the toilet but Akashi’s fast reflexes managed to catch the hyper boy by his shirt. “Hold your horses, Tetsuya, you need to clean up and wear your pants first.”

 

The boy tilted his head adorably, not understanding why there is a need to ‘clean up’.

 

Akashi smiled at the boy, though albeit sadly. Tetsuya still has a lot to learn. He brought the boy over as he squatted down, bringing him over his knees and he wiped him clean before pulling his pants and all up.

 

The boy immediately leaped up and darted out of the toilet, leaving Akashi alone to flush the toilet.

 

__________

 

Speaking of darting, Tetsuya behaves just like a child during bath time. Simply put, he dislikes getting a bath. It is not because a lot of touching is involved – okay, well, that’s part of the reason – but the teal-head simply dislikes getting wet. He is almost like a cat, really. Take your eyes off him and you will have to search the whole mansion for him. While the boy is still weak and lacks stamina, he can sneak around and ‘disappear’ if he truly wants to – not that it works effectively on Akashi.

 

He would pout and sulk when you put him into the tub of water, making you feel guilty as if you had just doused a cat in cold water. However, once he is fully wet and comfortable in the tub, getting him out of the water is another difficult task itself.

 

In a nutshell, Tetsuya hates getting wet, but once he is wet, he hates getting out of the water.

 

When the maids managed to dry him up and were preparing to dress him, Tetsuya, in his naked glory and all, made a dash out of the bathroom in search for his beloved ‘Juurou’, much to the chagrin of the maids. They let out collective groans at their charge’s yet another successful escapade.

 

One of the maids were about to start a wild chase for the fleeing teal when their young master suddenly stepped into the path ahead, causing the other boy to collide with their redheaded master.

 

“Juurou!” Tetsuya exclaimed in happiness, hugging and clinging onto Akashi, rubbing his face against his chest like a cat.

 

The sight of the maids panicking over a fleeing naked teal was so comical that Akashi couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped from his throat.

 

“Come on Tetsuya, let’s not cause any more trouble for the maids. Go get dressed, you wouldn’t want to catch a cold.” Akashi said as he turned the tiny teal around and led him back into the bathroom.

 

Honestly, he is so much like a child.

 

 

 

 

[i] Some wound dressing kits contained a disposable plastic bag with sticky sides at the edge to stick it somewhere to prevent it from flying away. They are used to dispose all the used items.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With my school starting, I find myself having lesser time to work on the fic... I just hope I can keep up with the weekly updates.
> 
> As the entire fic was self-beta'ed, there may be errors that I have missed. Please do inform me if you see any errors, and I will change it as soon as possible. I apologise in advance.
> 
> Comments and feedbacks for improving this fic are welcomed and encouraged.


	7. Chapter 7: Words and Language

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tetsuya learning how to write

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: OOCness, let's study Japanese together, everyone.

**Chapter Seven: Words and language**

Akashi Seijuurou easily dribble pass his blockers and ended the game with a majestic dunk. Right as he landed on his two feet, the buzzer sounded, signalling the end of the practice match between Kaijou and Rakuzan.

 

Although it was a Saturday, Rakuzan High School basketball club was still having extra practices, and weekends are the best time for practice matches with schools outside of Kyoto Prefecture.

 

Though Akashi had not practiced with the team ever since he had been exempted from school, the redhead had never neglected his basketball practice. This was especially shown, where Kaijou High had the initial lead of 54-79, and towards the end of the third quarter when the Rakuzan captain was subbed in, Rakuzan became the lead with 102-87 in the end.

 

After rehydrating himself, Akashi was about to head back to their designated changing room when he was stopped by a puppy incarnated known as Kise Ryouta.

 

“Great match-ssu, Akashicchi! I thought it was our sure victory when we were about twenty points ahead of Rakuzan!” Kise congratulated, his eyes squinted in an inverted U as he smiled at Akashi with a hand out-stretched. “Who could have expected Akashicchi to turn the tables so easily by bringing everyone into near zone state!”

 

“Yeah, it was a great match,” The ‘Akashicchi’ agreed, grabbing Kise’s hand in a firm handshake. “your perfect copy is amazing as always, Kise.”

 

“Not amazing enough to beat you though,” Kise replied with that cheerful smile of his.

 

Akashi gave a polite chuckle in return.

 

“Oh right!” The blond hair male exclaimed, hitting a fisted hand into his opened palm. “I managed to get Midorimachhi and Aominecchi to agree for a catch up at Maji burger later this evening-ssu. Rakuzan is staying in Tokyo before returning to Kyoto tomorrow right? Why don’t you come along too, Akashicchi?” He invited.

 

“You managed to get them to agree…” Akashi deadpanned. “Sure you didn’t annoy them into agreeing?”

 

Kise responded with a predictable ‘You are so mean, Akashicchi!’

 

“—Anyways, thank you for the tempting offer, but I will have to refuse.” Akashi rejected. “While it is true that Rakuzan would be staying here for the night, I will be heading home immediately after I change out, so I won’t be able to join you guys.”

 

“Boo! Akashicchi has been rejecting all my offers lately…” the puppy-incarnate complained.

 

“Well, I _am_ rather busy after all,” Akashi smirked as walked away right as Kise pouted with a ‘Are you saying I am made of free time? How mean-ssu!’

 

All jokes aside, as Kise looked at Akashi’s retreating back, he couldn’t help but to think that his former captain had looked more cheerful and started smiling more since the last time they had met. Maybe something good had happened to him?

 

__________

 

“Tetsuya-san, why don’t you wait for young master Seijuurou in the house where it’s warmer?” Their head butler advised, wrapping a coat around the shivering teal.

 

“Waiting for Juurou.” The teal stubbornly replied holding on to the gates of the mansion.

 

“The evening air is cold, Tetsuya-san, young master Seijuurou wouldn’t want you to catch a cold.” The butler argued but to no avail.

 

The boy refused, unyieldingly staring into the horizon for ‘Juurou’ to return home.

 

Somehow, that sight reminded the butler of a loyal dog sitting by the gate waiting for its master’s return. The head butler shook his head and sighed, heading back into the mansion to retrieve some heat packs for the blue-haired teen.

 

__________

 

It wasn’t totally true that he was busy. Well, honestly, it depends on your definition of busy. Akashi wanted to return home as soon as possible to see Tetsuya, hence he rejected the let’s-hang-out offer. He also didn’t want to keep the boy waiting for too long, as he knew that the boy would feel miserable without him around for too long.

 

He had once taken a trip to Rakuzan to collect his graded assignments only to come home to a sobbing Tetsuya who had wanted his ‘Juurou’. Even though Akashi had merely left for a few hours, Tetsuya had clung onto him, never letting him go for the next two days as if he had left the teal for years. No one could bear seeing the boy cry, and thus Akashi was currently trying to rush home as soon as possible after his practice match.

 

It was late evening by the time he reached Kyoto station, Akashi easily located the chauffeur and his shiny black car and approached it. When the chauffeur opened the passenger door for him, Akashi was about to slip in when he was tackled by a blur of blue with strength that would have toppled him had the other boy been a bit heavier.

 

“Tetsuya?!” The Akashi heir exclaimed in surprise and instinctively held on to the skinny boy to prevent him from falling. The other boy was on his tip-toes, hugging around Akashi’s neck and rubbing his face against the redhead’s cheek.

 

“Juurou~, Juurou~, Juurou~,” Tetsuya provided no answers as he sang Akashi’s name.

 

Akashi looked to the chauffeur, who looked equally confused, if not more so, than Akashi.

 

The scion sighed and manhandled both the boy and himself into the car, buckling his unexpected companion up first before doing the same to himself. Said ‘unexpected companion’ immediately shifted to hug the redhead around the torso.

 

The chauffeur’s reaction could only mean one thing: Tetsuya had snuck into the car without him knowing, and if that is the case, the Akashi branch house should be in an uproar right now.

 

__________

 

Akashi Seijuurou’s prediction couldn’t be any more accurate.

 

The moment the branch house was within sight, Akashi could see that all the lights in the mansion had been turned on. Through the windows were silhouettes of the household helpers running back and forth.

 

Once the car pulled up at the driveway and Akashi stepped out of it, the head butler came rushing down with a face of pure panic to inform his young master of the missing teal head and apologised profusely for his carelessness.

 

“I went back into the mansion to replaced his heat pack and when I returned, he was gone. All that was left was the coat I used to cover him in,” The butler offered as explanation, holding up the earth coloured coat for Akashi to see.

 

Akashi immediately whirled his head to lightly glare at the source of conflict, who had stuck his head out of the car to stare at the scene before him with enormous curiosity.

 

Sensing his glare, the above-mentioned source of conflict turned his head to look at the redhead, tilting his head and grinning innocently, totally clueless about the troubles he caused.

 

Noticing that his young master wasn’t looking at him, the head butler looked in the direction of whatever that had caught his master’s attention, only to feel his jaw slacken at the sight of a head of teal popping out of the car.

 

At that moment, the head butler shared the exact same thought as the chauffeur when he had first seen the boy.

 

_When had he gotten in there?!_

 

__________

 

Ever since the sneaking-into-car incident, the entire household tried to keep an eye out for Tetsuya to keep him distracted from Akashi’s absence. Sometimes, they were successful in having him entertained. Other times, they failed, leaving them to soothe a crying and scared Tetsuya until the heir comes home.

 

When Akashi came back from yet another basketball practice game one day, he was unexpectedly greeted by a highly excited teal boy who wouldn’t stop bouncing around him. Placing his gym bag into its rightful spot, the redhead turned to give the other boy his full attention.

 

“Yes, Tetsuya?” Akashi smiled at the fidgety boy.

 

“Juurou!” Tetsuya exclaimed, thrusting a piece of paper right into Akashi’s face.

 

Akashi held onto the boy’s wrist, distancing the paper from himself for his eyes to better focus on the writings on the paper:

 

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/149953062@N06/35133183914/in/datetaken/)

 

Akashi looked at the teal-head, but the boy offered no further elaboration, choosing to instead bounce from foot to foot, grinning from ear to ear.

 

“There you are, Tetsuya-san,” A maid stood outside Akashi’s room. “I was about to inform you that Young Master is back.”

 

“Is something the matter?” Akashi asked the maid, nodding his head to give her the permission to enter his room.

 

The maid gave a custom knock on the door before she entered, stopping at a polite distance away from Akashi.

 

“I found some old colouring pencils from the storage and gave it to Tetsuya-san to play with until young master came back. When I checked on him about thirty minutes later, Tetsuya-san did a drawing of young master and couldn’t wait for him to return home to see.” She explained.

 

Ah, so it was meant to be a drawing of himself.

 

“Tetsuya-san was so giddy with excitement, he wouldn’t sit still.” She continued, smiling fondly at the bubbly teal.

 

“I see, nothing major happened while I was away?”

 

“No sir, apart from staring out at the window every few seconds for your return, Tetsuya-san had been nothing but well behaved today.” The maid replied.

 

“I see. Thank you.”

 

The maid bowed with a ‘I will prepare a bath for young master’ as parting, leaving Akashi alone with Tetsuya, who was now hunched over, exhausted from bouncing about too much.

 

“Thank you, Tetsuya.” Akashi smiled, giving Tetsuya a gentle ruffle on the head, “I will treasure it.”

 

Tetsuya leaned into the touch, returning the redhead with a beam so bright and large Akashi feared his face would tear. Had Tetsuya been a kitten, he was so sure the other boy would be purring by now.

 

__________

 

As the scion soaked in the tub after a day of back-to-back basketball practices, he sighed with pleasure, the warm water loosening his tensed muscles, making him feel refreshed.

 

Akashi leaned back as he thought about the smaller boy.

 

While Tetsuya had never held a pencil or a pen before this, he seemed to have a pretty good control and hand-eye coordination to draw a human that looked like a one and colour within the lines he had drew. The boy appeared to have rather advanced fine motor skills, and Akashi thought that he would be ready for something that he had wanted the teal boy to try in a long while.

 

__________

 

The next day found himself in his study room with the other boy sitting opposite him. Akashi slid a hiragana[i] chart across the table towards the boy, with said boy peering curiously at the foreign characters on the chart.

 

“Here are all the syllables of our language, Tetsuya.” Akashi explained, eyeing the boy’s expression carefully.

 

“The first row contains the vowels.” He continued, sliding a finger along said row of vowels.

 

“This is the first vowel, ‘ah’.” He continued, finger sliding back to the ‘あ’ character in the chart. “For example, my family name, Akashi, starts with this character.”

 

Tetsuya frown hard, trying to absorb everything.

 

“After ‘ah’ comes ‘ee’.” He said, pointing to the ‘い’ character next to ‘あ’.

 

“Eeeee…” The teal-head mimicked.

 

Akashi nodded his head in encouragement.

 

“That’s right. And after that is ‘wuu’, ‘eh’, and ‘oh’.” He pointed to ‘う’, ‘え’ and ‘お’ respectively.

 

After introducing Tetsuya to all the characters in the Hiragana chart, Akashi taught the boy how to refer to the chart to form words. Using the boy’s name ‘Tetsuya’ as an example, he brought the boy’s finger to ‘て[te]’, followed by ‘つ[tsu]’ and then ‘や[ya]’[ii]. He then handed the boy a piece of paper and a pencil.

 

The boy grabbed the pencil with his fist and started scribbling the first character in his name:

 

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/149953062@N06/35133183734/in/datetaken/)

 

Seeing as the boy had held his pencil wrongly, Akashi circled round the table and settled behind the boy. He tried to adjust the boy’s hold on the pencil and held his hand to guide the boy along with the strokes. Afterwards, he let Tetsuya practice on his own while he worked on his graded assignments.

 

Akashi looked up occasionally to check on Tetsuya. He saw the boy’s attention all concentrated at his writing, even his tongue was poking out at the side of his mouth. He chuckled silently at the other boy’s unconscious actions. At this rate, the boy would pick up the written language faster than expected.

 

The redhead was about to return to his work when he felt a slight tug on his long-sleeved shirt. He looked up to see Tetsuya peering shyly at him.  
  
“What’s the matter, Tetsuya?” He asked, giving the boy an encouraging smile.

 

The boy hesitantly slid the paper over to Akashi.

 

“Juurou,” He said, pointing to ‘じゅ[ju] andろ[ro]’ in the midst of all the other scribbles.

 

Akashi chuckled once more. Of all words that he knew of, the first words the teal-headed teen chose to write was his name.

 

“Great job, Tetsuya,” He praised. “But you are missing something.”

 

He took the paper and wrote in pen neatly beside the other boy’s untidy, childish characters.

 

“This is how my name is written,” He explained, pointing to the neat characters of ‘せ[se]い[i]じゅ[ju]う[u]ろ[ro]う[u]’, giving extra attention to the two underlined ‘う’s as he spoke.

 

“My name is ‘Se-i-ju-u-ro-u, or ‘Ju-u-ro-u’, as you call it’.” He elaborated, making sure to emphasise on the ‘u’s as he said them.

 

Tetsuya took the paper back, holding them carefully in his palms as if they are brittle and staring at the words Akashi wrote reverently.

 

“Se…i…ju…uuu…ro…uuu…” Tetsuya pronounced with the pauses, referring to the Hiragana chart for every character.

 

“Sei…juurou…” The teal repeated.

 

Akashi noticed that he had no problems saying his full name this time. _Perhaps Tetsuya is a visual learner,_ Akashi thought, immediately thinking of new learning methods for the boy.

 

__________

 

Ever since Akashi had taught him how to write, Tetsuya had been seen walking around everywhere with a pencil and paper. The boy was keen to learn and he absorbed information like a sponge, making his learning speed a lot faster than Akashi had expected.

 

Tetsuya also wrote his own name on every surface he could find: the walls, the floors, the cupboards, the tables, and the household servants would always be seen cleaning after all the marks left by the insufferably adorable teal.

 

“Tetsuya-san, you are doing it on the walls again!” One of the maid gently chided without any heat behind her words.

 

The teen merely grinned at the maid, “Tetsuya is practise writing!” and turned his attention back to his papers.

 

Akashi shook his head and headed back into his room to complete his assignments. Looking at his papers, the redhead saw that not even his important documents were spared from the childish characters that were Tetsuya’s handwriting.

 

He sighed in amusement at the teal’s antics.

 

_Well, at least they are written in pencils…_

 

Akashi grabbed a rubber to erase the strings of ‘てつや[Tetsuya]’s, pausing when he reached the last of characters.

 

What he saw had warmed his heart tremendously. Not wanting to erase that last line of characters, Akashi took a new, blank piece of writing paper to rewrite his three thousand worth of words.

 

__________

 

Nearing the bottom of his old documents where the blank spaces were, lies the slightly neater version of Tetsuya’s unmistakable handwritings.

 

‘てつや　は　じゅうろう　が　すき [tetsuya wa Juurou ga suki]’

 

‘Tetsuya likes Juurou.’

 

 

* * *

 

 

[i] A component of the Japanese writing system. Hiragana is most commonly used and is usually the first language system taught to children.

 

[ii] Tetsuya’s name is written in katakana: テツヤ. However, as mentioned in footnote [i], hiragana is usually taught to children first, and their names are generally written in Hiragana until they learn the other writing system.

 

Children generally practice controlling a pencil through scribbles and drawings before they were taught to write.

 

Extra: I had to use my right hand(My non-master hand to draw those images or the strokes would look too fluid to look like someone who had never hold on to a pen/pencil before.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been feeling pretty suicidal lately.  
> School has been pretty mean and I feel left out by my 'friends'.  
> I wonder if life purposefully made it such that I would have a lonely school life...
> 
> All this betrayals and everything makes me so tempted to revert back to my old habits because it feels like all the mess out thoughts would flow out together with my blood...
> 
> My personal life aside, special thanks to ShinseiShinwa for his/her constant support since the beginning of this fic.  
> This is going to be a very long story, so I hope that everyone would continue to support me too. *bows low*


	8. Chapter 8: Fear and regression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juurou had caught him. Juurou is going to hate him now, he is sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: OOCness, crude and vulgar languages, mention of human excretion, graphic description of abuse

**Chapter Eight: Fear and regression**

Tetsuya doesn’t take disappointments very well. If he does something that you disapprove of, he would run and hide away from you, and it would take you the next hour or so to coax him out of his hiding. When there is no place for him to hide, he would sink down into foetal position, grab your leg and beg for forgiveness with tears in his eyes, and just like the hiding, it would take hours to get him to settle down.

 

While it hurts Akashi tremendously to be the cause of Tetsuya’s fears, the boy needs to learn about what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable.

 

The teal head has a small appetite, and could only finish about three quarter of a normal serving. When Akashi urged him to finish his food, Tetsuya had forced himself to swallow it all up, only to vomit it all out a while later, sending the boy into fits of apology.

 

Akashi no longer forced him to finish his food after that, but it caused Tetsuya so much distress when he couldn't finish that he would start crying and begging for forgiveness. Again, it made Akashi felt like the biggest asshole, and so he ordered for the cook to reduce the share he would prepare for the boy.

 

All things had been peaceful after that, that is until one day, an issue was brought to Akashi’s attention while he was finishing up the documents his father had assigned him with.

 

Akashi had entered the bathroom to a rather worried maid and an extremely guilty Tetsuya.

 

Upon seeing the redhead, the teal boy sank to his knees to hugged them towards his body, crying strings of apologies into his knees, along with some ‘Won’t do it again’s.

 

Akashi was stupefied until the maid attending to Tetsuya had explained that she found some chicken meat in Tetsuya’s pocket. They weren’t sure how long he had been doing it, but apparently, Tetsuya had been stealing food from the kitchen and hiding it somewhere.

 

The Akashi heir dismissed the maid, asking her to let him handle the situation. Once they were left alone, he carefully walked towards the teal-head, only for said teal to start screaming his apologies.

 

__________

 

_His master had given him a filling meal once. Granted, it was cold and hard with a crunchy feel as if it was mixed with rocks. It probably was, since master had thrown the rice onto the floor. This is where slaves eat, he had said, off the floor._

_It didn’t bother Tetsuya that he was eating off the ground. He never knew about contamination or germs or food poisoning, never knew that that isn't actually the normal way to eat. To him, food is food, whether it is off the ground or from the bin. And as long as it’s food, he would eat them._

_While he was gobbling those hard, crunchy rice, his master kicked him in the ribs, causing him to fall over; and nudged his head with his foot, but he didn’t care. He hadn’t had a proper meal in a long while, there is no way he would let any minor things stop him from eating._

_“What a greedy slut. Maybe I should have my cock up your mouth someday. I bet you would like it.” His master had jeered but he didn’t understand a word master was saying._

_After a while, he had finished. The first filling meal he had had since coming here. Granted, it was only half a small bowl, but it was still the most filling he had since…forever._

_He looked up at his master, careful to avoid the eyes and gave his master a happy smile to express his gratitude – because that’s the only thing he could do. Through his smile and careful avoidance of the eyes, a habit instilled into him because slaves are not allowed to look into the eyes of their masters, he had missed the evil glint in his master’s eyes._

_Apparently, his master believed that giving him that much of a food is enough to last him for the next few days. He had got nothing except muddy water after that._

_“What? Hadn’t you had your fill few days ago?! Just because I was generous enough to give you food, I am expected to keep providing you with them?!” His master scolded when he silently begged for food on the fifth day. “Learn to be grateful, you freaking fuck toy!” His master spat at him._

_Driven with hunger and survival instinct, on the sixth day while master was away, Tetsuya sneaked into the kitchen to steal some food. He had been successful and had continued doing so until a week later where his master caught him in the act._

_He tied the boy, hands behind his back and held the boy by his throat against the wall._

_“Stealing food, eh? Maybe I need to reteach you about manners?” The master sneered into his ears, the grip around his neck tightening, choking him._  
  
_His master released him, and he immediately slide down the wall and laid against the cold tiles, coughing and gasping for air. Almost immediately, Tetsuya was lifted by the hair and was repeatedly slammed against the wall until something warm trickled down his head and his vision blurred._

_Master then proceed to slam him down to the floor and started stepping and kicking him repeatedly._

_The boy could feel and hear something in his chest break, and he couldn’t hold back a scream._

_Every kick to his chest gave him excruciating pain, forcing a scream to tear out of his throat, which in turn, further intensifying the pain. It was a vicious cycle; the pain in his chest causing him to scream, and his screams causing even more pain. He wanted to stop screaming; to stop breathing in order to ease the pain, but with master continuously kicking his chest, he was forced to scream in agony even if he didn’t want to._

_It was torturous, unbearable and agonizing. His hoarse voice kept screaming and crying until a peaceful blackness swept over him._

____________

_He had always had a full stomach ever since the redhead angel called ‘Juurou’ brought him to a new house. He always had warm food that glides smoothly down his stomach, warming him inside out. It was so unlike the cold, hard and crunchy rice he always had._

_Juurou had been nothing but nice to him, and he would never want to do anything to make Juurou angry. However, somewhere deep inside – probably an ingrained habit – he was scared that he would be forced to pay for the price of Juurou’s kindness eventually. He was terrified that one day, Juurou would stop giving him food and would make him starve like master had._

_Hence, when no one noticed, he sneaked into the kitchen to steal some food and hide them cleverly. No one found them, for it was a place only he knew about._

_When Juurou taught him how to write, he was so happy that storing food slipped out of his mind. Upon remembering that he needed to store food just in case he gets hungry, Tetsuya ran into the kitchen to grab the first edible thing that he saw._

_While making his way out of the kitchen, however, a maid was looking for him as it was his bath time. Having nowhere to hide his spoils, the boy hid them in his pockets, hoping the maid would never notice it._

_It was a futile hope. The maid had found out, and now Juurou found out. He was scared to see the look of anger and disappointment on his face. He didn’t want Juurou to be angry at him. He was afraid Juurou would do the things that master would do to him._

_Juurou wouldn’t be happy now, he was sure of it. He had no one but himself to blame._

____________

 

 

“Tetsuya, I am not angry,” Akashi tried explaining, but it seemed that the other boy wasn’t listening, too lost in his thoughts and fears. The boy was almost naked, shirtless at the top and wearing only his boxes and training pants underneath it. Akashi was afraid the boy would catch a cold.

 

While the boy has been able to go to pee without much accident lately (still unsuccessful during night time), stressful situations would still cause him to lose control of his bladder. Stressful situations like this one. And as if on cue, Akashi could already see some wetness spreading across the boy’s boxes, wetting the floor along with it. This would further increase his chances of getting a cold.

 

Any movements he made only served to frighten the boy even more, resulting in him scurrying away until he hit a tub. Having nowhere else to go, Tetsuya let out a frightened whimper, so Akashi decided to stop approaching the other teen, but instead, made himself comfortable on the floor – he’s going to be in here for quite a while, so he might as well be comfortable – to wait for the teal to calm down.  
  
He very much wanted to run over and comfort the other boy, but seeing as Tetsuya backed away from Akashi with every step he took, he didn’t want the boy to feel trapped; not in this house, where he should feel the safest. And so, he decided to let the boy approach him at his own will.

 

“I will wait here, Tetsuya.” Akashi’s voice echoed in the bathroom. “Come to me when you are ready.”

 

__________

 

It took almost an hour for Tetsuya to calm down. Which also meant that Akashi Seijuurou had been sitting in the same position without moving for almost an hour.

 

Akashi had been assigned to courses such as tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy and a lot other traditional arts that requires discipline and prolonged sitting, so he has an excellent posture and is able to sit still for a long period of time.

 

However, it could be due to his concern for Tetsuya; or his constant itch of wanting to approach the boy to comfort him, but for some reason, his body was all tense and stiff, making him extremely uncomfortable. To an observer, Akashi might seem like a posture of relaxation and calmness, but deep inside, Akashi was very tensed – all he wanted was to approach the teal and hug the boy.

 

Though, Akashi Seijuurou is nothing if not disciplined. And so, he forced himself to stay still and wait – most impatiently – for the smaller boy to calm himself down. He knew from experience that Tetsuya in that state is very fragile and skittish, and approaching him carelessly would only result in the boy flipping out and possibly hurting himself.

 

This period is very sensitive. One small movement would frighten the boy back to square one. He wondered why he is doing so much for the other boy. It doesn’t feel like pity nor sympathy, but somehow, when the other boy gave him that innocent smile of his, Akashi felt his insides going all warm and fluffy. Perhaps, because of that, no matter how stiff he got, how tired or sore he was, he forced himself to maintain a calm façade, all for the sake of the teal boy.

 

And when Tetsuya was finally calming down, Akashi heaved a sigh of relief internally – both for his concern for Tetsuya, and for the soreness of his body.

 

When the boy was finally free from the memories of his abuse, he felt himself calming down. Confusion filled him when he realised that no one had done anything to him, nor had he felt any physical pain. They should have kicked him or hit him or whip him because he deserved it. He deserved it for stealing food, because a lowly slave like him shouldn’t be allowed to touch food eaten by a normal person.

 

Slowly, cautiously, the smaller boy peeped out from where he was hiding in his knees. He saw his Juurou sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking all relaxed. He had expected the redhead to be tensed and ready to pounce and attack him the moment he let his guard down, so a chilled and calmed-looking Juurou was unexpected.

 

Gathering a slightly bit more courage, Tetsuya lifted his head to observe Akashi’s face – the face is where you can tell how a person is truly feeling. The boy peered at the redhead’s mouth, seeing it curved into a kind smile, and then up to his eyes, where instead of scorn or disgust, were gentle eyes that got even softer when they made eye contact.

 

Tetsuya flinched a little when Juurou suddenly moved, but his movement were slow and deliberate. Akashi’s hands, which were resting on his lap before, spread open for the boy, like a mother welcoming her child into her embrace.

 

The teal slowly uncurled himself from his balled protection, though still cautious and prepared for a sudden beating.

 

Juurou looked like he is welcoming him into an embrace. Tetsuya felt himself inched closer. He wants Juurou, he wants his arm around him, hugging him and protecting him. He wants to be covered in Juurou’s smell and warmth. He wants Juurou to love him and hold him and be nice to him.

 

By now, Tetsuya was already crawling halfway towards the redhead. But _,_ he suddenly stopped. What if it’s all a trap? What if the moment he reached Juurou, Juurou would start hitting him?

 

Seeing as Tetsuya suddenly stopped his snail-paced journey towards him, Akashi raised his brows and tilted his head to the side.

 

Unbeknownst to the redhead, Tetsuya was having a fierce internal debate. He desperately wanted his Juurou’s touch, but what if it was all a trap? Should he take the risk and approach Juurou, making him open and unguarded to whatever attacks Juurou may have in stall, or should he just stay there and hope that Juurou would lose interest in him after a while?

 

After a long minute of total silence and zero movements, Tetsuya reached a decision: he would approach his Juurou to get the touch he wants. After all, he reasoned, he had been beaten and whipped and suffered broken bones at every places imaginable, any beatings from Juurou wouldn’t matter now, for he had nothing to lose.

 

Not wanting to second guess his decision, the teal pounced forward, slamming himself against the unsuspecting redhead.

 

__________

 

Akashi was curious. The smaller boy had been making a steady, however slow, pace towards him, but then suddenly, he all but stopped. He was frowning so hard – as if debating about something – for a full minute, and then, without any warning, the teal suddenly pounced at him, catching him off guard.

 

Unprepared for the force and too late to brace for it, both red and blue toppled over, with Akashi on the tiles staring blankly at the ceiling and Tetsuya head buried in the other’s shirt. Having stayed sitting and unmoving for a long time, his blood circulation was a little poor. Hence, the sudden change in movement made his head spin, causing the Akashi heir looked at the ceiling in a daze until he felt his stomach trembling.

 

 _Why isn’t he moving? Why isn’t he doing anything? H-hurry up and hit me. Please-please-please – don’t make me beg for my punishment…_ Tetsuya’s head was in a mess when, after coming into contact with the redhead, Akashi did not move a single muscle.

 

The teal-haired teen trembled hard, hands turning cold and clammy as his hands held onto Akashi’s shirt in a vice grip. That is, until Akashi wrapped his arms around the boy in a warm embrace and gentle.

 

The moment the smaller boy felt an arm covering him gently, he stopped trembling and looked up at the slightly larger boy in shock, elbows against the other’s chest to prop himself up. He stared at Akashi, wide eyed and in wonderment. It was the exact same embrace he received when they first met.

 

Tetsuya felt his nose turned tingly and his eyes felt…full. He couldn’t understand it. He had stolen food from the kitchen, why isn’t Juurou mad at him? He deserved to be beaten, whipped. His feelings didn’t matter. He is just a slave, a fuck toy, a thing and nothing more. So why is it that this Juurou is being so nice to someone as dispensable as himself?

 

Akashi brought a hand up to caress the teal’s soft hair.

 

“Hey…” He smiled softly, voice cracking a little with Tetsuya’s weight pressing against his chest. “Welcome back.”

 

He brought the other boy’s head closer to him, straining his neck a little to nuzzle his nose against the teal’s cheek.

 

“I don’t know what made you steal food from the kitchen, Tetsuya,” Juurou started. “But know that you will never have to resort to that. Not here: I won’t allow you to starve here. No one would deprive you of anything here, so… if you ever get hungry, just approach anyone and we would give you food, okay?”

 

Akashi grinned at the boy, sliding a thumb over his cheeks to wipe away the tears that had flowed down his eyes.

 

Tetsuya couldn’t believe what he had heard. Granted, he doesn’t know everything word-for-word, but he understood enough to know that he would never get hungry here. That, and that his Juurou would not hit him or scold him for stealing food.

 

The other boy was so relieved he let the waterworks go, and before he knew it, he was full out sobbing into Akashi’s chest.

 

Akashi chose that moment to sit up, holding the boy close to him and allowing him to sob into his chest. The redhead readjusted the teal such that the other was resting comfortably on his lap. Akashi ignored the feeling of wetness seeping into his pants – he had gotten used to touching human excretion by now.

 

The Akashi heir cradled the boy against his chest, his hands alternating between patting and rubbing the bare back.

 

Looks like bathing would have to wait a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Mothers' Day, for those who are celebrating.
> 
> I would like to thank everyone for their kindness last week. Everyone had been so kind and supportive even though I had turned it into something so personal. Everyone's comments had given me a lot of courage and assurance, not just to face my school 'bullies' but also, it had me knowing that there are a lot of people who actually liked this fic.
> 
> My situation hadn't really gotten any better. If anything, I feel that all I am doing is unknowingly destroying relationships that I had worked so hard to build. Apparently, me telling my closer friends about feeling suicidal and depressed only made them awkward around me. I never told them anything else regarding how I feel after that and things got better between us -- no longer as awkward.
> 
> I will still strive on either way. This fic needs to be completed(though not anytime soon), and I still have a future to work to; and who knows, maybe it would be a better future..
> 
> Thank you very much, everyone.  
> Have a nice weekend and hope you would enjoy this chapter.


	9. Chapter 9: Mini Mi-do-ma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko meets one of the Generation of Miracles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: ...not any that I know off. OOCness and lots of fluff? There's also a very clingy Kuroko but that's the norm in this fic.

**Chapter Nine: Mini Mi-do-ma**

It hadn’t even been a month since Akashi taught him how to write and Tetsuya had already moved on from Hiragana to Katakana.

 

However, unlike hiragana which had mostly distinct characters, Tetsuya had a harder time with Katakana.

 

“So!” The boy shouted when Akashi showed him the ‘ン’ handmade flashcard.

 

“No Tetsuya, that’s ‘n’” The redhead corrected.

 

The boy made a noise of frustration.

 

“Next one,” Akashi said, holding up the ‘マ’ card.

 

“Mu!!!” The teal exclaimed.

 

Akashi shook his head. “That is ‘ma’, my dear. _This_ is ‘mu’,” He fished out the ‘ム’ card to the boy.

 

“Last one,” Akashi chirped, showing him the ‘ツ’ card.

 

“Shi!” He claimed, confident about this one. Noticing the growing smirk on Akashi’s face, Tetsuya immediately changed his answer. “Tsu!”.

 

At that, the redhead lost it. Tetsuya made so many cute expression when he guessed the characters wrongly that Akashi couldn’t help but to laugh at him. “Go look through the chart again,” He smiled, pushing the Katakana chart to the other boy.

 

The teal took it with slight resentment. Had Tetsuya been a dog, Akashi was sure that his hackles would have rose long ago, snarling at the innocent chart. At that visualisation, Akashi once again burst into laughter.

 

“Bakajuurou” Tetsuya muttered, mauling at Akashi’s name. “Don’t like you…”

 

Akashi blinked at Tetsuya with complete surprise before cracking up again. Gosh, the teal always does things out of his expectations. Akashi was sure he had never laughed so much in his lifetime before. “No use in directing your frustrations at me, Tetsuya.” He teased, gently pinching the other boy on the nose. “I am not the one who invented the writing system.”

 

The boy gave the redhead an unhappy look before committing his full attention into memorising the chart… for the fourth time.

 

Seeing him all focused on the katakana chart, the redhead turned his attention back to the book he was reading.

 

__________

 

The bespectacled male walked towards the gate of the Akashi branch house. Even though it was only a branch house, the mansion was still huge. The security, having recognised him, allowed him through the gate without having to show his identity card.

 

The green haired male swiftly slid through the gates and walked towards the mansion door. He had managed to escape the puppy incarnate called Kise by telling him that he had to make some delivery on behalf of his father, which was why he is currently here, standing in front of the mansion to pay its residents a visit.

 

__________

 

The silent mansion was suddenly interrupted by a gentle chime – the doorbell. Tetsuya perked up at the sound, lifting his head up from the chart he was studying to locate the source.

  
“Must be a visitor,” Akashi mused. “It’s not every day we receive one.”

 

Tetsuya immediately stood up and trotted towards the door of the room they were in.

 

“Juurou no go?” He asked when he noticed that Akashi wasn’t following.

 

“You go ahead, Tetsuya.” Akashi responded, turning his head back to the book he was reading. “Let me finish this paragraph first.”

 

At that, the teal boy ran out of the room to the door. Akashi shook his head in amusement. It’s the butler’s job to receive guests, but ever since the arrival of Tetsuya, that job had been taken over by the curious teal.

 

When he finished the promised paragraph, Akashi turned the book over such that the book was being held open by the table. He stood up and brushed the invisible dust off his trousers before following after Tetsuya, though at a much slower pace.

 

__________

 

While on his way to the Akashi branch house, he couldn’t help but to peek at the items he was tasked to deliver. Antiseptic cream, cooling cream, bandages and… –he blushed. Why would Akashi need these things? Had he gotten injured? Perhaps that would explain why Akashi haven’t been attending Kise’s meet ups.

 

He had been to the Akashi mansion a few times; hence he knew by now that he would be greeted by a butler when the door opens. However, this time, it wasn’t the butler that greeted him, but an empty space instead.

 

The green haired male blinked a few times before readjusting his spectacles. Sure, he had been exhausted after a long ride in the bullet train, but surely, he hadn’t been so tired he started hallucinating?

 

“Ohhhhhhhhh~” Came a soft-spoken sound.

 

The green looked down the door to see one large blue eye peeking at him through the small gap.

 

“Mini Mi-do[i]-ma!” The cute eye exclaimed before shutting the door in his face.

 

The bespectacled man stared at the door and blinked with confusion.

 

_What the heck is a Mi-do-ma?!_

He was about to press the bell again when he heard voices from behind the door.

 

“Ah, Tetsuya-san.” A muffled voice he recognised as the butler’s sounded. “Once again, you are a step ahead of me. I would be running out of jobs at this rate.”

 

_Tetsuya?_

Before he could hear the response to the butler’s mild joke, the door opened again, this time being greeted by the butler he had initially expected to see.

 

“Ah, welcome, Midorima-san. Please, come in.” The butler opened the wider before turning to the teal hiding behind him. “Tetsuya-san, why don’t you help me call for Young master Seijuurou?”

 

The teal immediately nodded and sprinted away. “Seijuurouuuuuu! Juuuuuuurouuuuuu!” The boy sang.

 

The visitor eyed the boy incredulously. He seemed like his age, yet acted like a child. Who is this Tetsuya guy and why is he so close to Akashi?

 

Akashi increased his walking speed when he heard Tetsuya calling for him. He turned around the corner and stopped just in time to catch the dashing teal.

 

“Juurou~” The teal squealed in happiness and rubbed his face against his chest.

 

Akashi smiled at the adorable action and gently ruffled at the hair. “Who is it, Tetsuya?”

 

“Mini Mi-do-ma!” The boy replied, grinning.

 

Akashi tilted his head a little before heading towards the guest room, his movement slightly awkward due to the clinging boy. He knew who ‘Mi-do-ma’ refers to, but a mini Mi-do-ma? Could it be…?

 

__________

 

“Akashi.” The green haired man greeted when he saw the redhead enter the room.

 

“Ah, Midorima, welcome.” The redhead replied when he settled down in the couch opposite the other. “What brings you here?”

 

Midorima huffed before placing a package on the table. “Delivery on behalf of my father who is currently attending a seminar-nanodayo. Bandages, antiseptic cream, cooling cream and…”  Midorima trailed off, his voice growing softer as a blush appeared over his face. “…diaper rash cream... Akashi, you are not badly hurt, are you?” He questioned, opening the package and taking the respective items out as he listed them before eyeing Akashi with a critical eye.

 

“Heh, it’s not for me, it's for him,” Akashi explained amusedly, directing the green's attention to the tiny boy squeezing in beside him.

 

Midorima’s eye slightly widened at the teal coloured boy sitting beside Akashi. It’s the same boy who had first opened the door earlier. He wondered why he didn’t notice the boy entering the room with Akashi. He observed the other boy carefully.

 

Indeed, the teal-head looked about the same age as them, except slightly smaller in size. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with track pants, so Midorima was unable to see the bandages beneath the boy’s clothes. At his stare, the boy clung onto Akashi’s arm and hid his face behind the shoulder, an eye peeking out to spy on him.

 

“I thought you were so badly injured you couldn’t walk… or something…” He sighed. “So, Akashi, who is this boy and what is a mini Mi-do-ma?”

 

At that confused sounding question, Akashi let out a small laugh. His friend stared at him, slightly horrified. He had seen Akashi giving polite chuckles and or smiles to manipulate people, but never had he seen Akashi genuinely laughing.

 

“Tetsuya has been calling your father ‘Mi-do-ma’ since he first came to visit him. He must have added a ‘mini’ in front when he sees a smaller carbon copy of the person who treated his injuries. How lucky, Midorima.” Akashi smirked.

 

“Like real.” The mini Mi-do-ma grumbled, turning his head and giving his attention to the silent teal beside his former captain. “My name is Midorima Shintarou-nanodayo. Please refrain from calling me anything but that.”

 

“-nano…dayo?” Instead of acknowledging Midorima’s words, Tetsuya repeated Midorima’s pet phrase, turning his head to face the redhead.

 

“It is just a manner of speech that Midorima uses, Tetsuya. Please don’t speak like him.”

 

Midorima felt ticked by that.

 

“Mini Mi-do-ma is… Juurou friend…-nanodayo?” The smallest of the three asked, a grin spreading across his face when Akashi’s face contorted slightly in disbelief.

 

Before Akashi could say anything to him, Tetsuya all but ran out of the room.

 

Akashi and Midorima shared a confused, clueless look before Akashi cleared his throat. “Midorima, I will have you take full responsibility for teaching Tetsuya the wrong things.” He deadpanned.

 

“W-wh…! H-How is that my fault?!” Midorima spluttered.

 

He calmed down slightly, recognising it as a joke when he saw a smirk emerging from Akashi’s face, though his calm was not for long.

 

Seriously, what has that tiny blue boy done to him? Akashi Seijuurou never tell jokes!

 

This time, right before Midorima could say anything else, the teal came running back, thrusting a book into Midorima’s hands.

 

“Mi-do-ma!” Tetsuya smiled, settling himself beside Akashi and hugging his arm again.

 

Midorima took a good look at the book handled to him, only to be speechless at what he saw:

 

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/149953062@N06/35973160295/in/datetaken/)

 

What is he supposed to say? It looked nothing like his father. Though granted, it is much better than Aomine’s…

 

“Mi-do-ma!” The boy repeated while rubbing his cheeks against the arm he clung to. He raised a hand to point at the younger Midorima.

 

“Mini Mi-do-ma!” He exclaimed.

 

Unsure about how to deal with this teen and his childlike behaviour, Midorima merely nodded his head. “It ah— looks good…nanodayo…”

 

The blinding smile he received in return merely confused him even more.

 

The green headed teen placed the book on the table before clearing his throat awkwardly and turning his attention to the silent redhead.

 

“Akashi, how about explaining exactly what is going on. And does this have anything to do with your no longer attending Kise’s so-called fortnightly ‘Miracles meet up’?” Midorima demanded rather sternly.

 

Akashi sighed. While he didn’t really want to disclose anything about Tetsuya and can easily force Midorima to submit to him if he so please, he does not wish to control or push away his friends like he had when they were in Middle School. He turned his head to the still clinging teal, said teal tilting his head in response.

 

“How about you help us find a maid to prepare some tea, Tetsuya?” Akashi smiled. The teal boy nodded happily and unlatched himself from the redhead’s arm, bouncing out of the room and down the hallway to look for a maid.

 

With Tetsuya gone, Akashi turned his attention back to Midorima. Well, time for some serious explaining.

 

__________

 

“I see…” Was the younger Midorima’s response after hearing the explanation.

 

Akashi explained everything; from how he had an assignment in a rural village in Japan, to the discovery of the corrupted mayor. He explained about slavery, where he had found Tetsuya. He discussed about his physical and mental state, and how he had behaved when he first came here.

 

Midorima had listened intently, absorbing every single information. The story had left him speechless. It was not something one would expect to happen in an advanced and sophisticated country such as Japan, especially because corruptions are seen as despicable and absolutely unacceptable by the society[ii].

 

“Akashi… you…” Midorima tried to say, his mouth opening and closing but nothing came out. He had too much to comment on, unable to decide what to say.

 

Before long, he decided to settle on what was on his mind throughout Akashi’s explanation. “Akashi… are you sure this is a wise choice…?”

 

Akashi raised a brow at that. “What do you mean?”

 

Midorima looked highly uncomfortable. “Tetsuya had been abused for a long time right? The psychological trauma he’d face is no small matter. Are you sure this would be the best place for him to recover? I mean, he would need an experienced psychologist and…”

 

“Midorima,” Akashi cut him off. “When I first found Tetsuya, he was so terrified of everyone else and would flinch away at every touch. Now, he is no longer as skittish as before. In a psychiatric ward, there are doctors, patients and visitors walking in and out. He wouldn’t be able to feel comfortable with all of them around.

 

“Plus, the psychologist would have other patients as well, he or she would not be able to attend to Tetsuya all the time. Also, Tetsuya barely understood speech when he was found. A psychologist wouldn’t be able to help with the limited time he or she has.

 

“In addition, you know how rare Tetsuya’s case is. He grew up in the world of slavery and know nothing else. He doesn’t know how to behave or live like a normal human being, which would make him a valuable subject for scientist and researchers to study about the human growth. And once those researchers had enough of him, they would no longer fund for Tetsuya’s treatment, and he would have nowhere to go; not even a hospital can keep him for long[iii].

 

“So yes, I do believe this is the best place for him to recover. Here, he receives all the attention he needs for his growth. His behaviour just now should have been prove of that.”

 

“But, Akashi—” Right before Midorima could finish his sentence, a crash was heard from the direction of the kitchen, followed by a scream of pure terror that made both Akashi and Midorima’s blood turn cold.

 

[i] Just want to clear any reading errors that ‘do’ in Japanese is read similar to as door without emphasis on the ‘r’, so Kuroko is pronouncing ‘Mi-dor-ma’ instead of ‘Mi-doo-ma’

[ii] Japan is ranked as one of the least corrupted countries in the world. As with their culture, bribery and dishonesty are seemed as unacceptable and generally not practiced

[iii] Based on Genie(feral child) article I read while doing some research to support my theory of Kuroko’s delayed cognitive development in chapter 4.

She had caught the interest of some researchers and scientists after hearing about her case. They were then funded to help Genie in her growth and learning for research purposes. Genie was often moved from place to place without a permanent place to stay.

When the organization that funded the scientists stopped providing funds, the scientists(and doctors) redrew from Genie’s care, and with no one to fund for her treatment, her treatment was stopped and she was sent from foster home to foster homes where she faced further abuse, resulting in her regression.

As her case was too deep for me to use on Kuroko, I removed the idea, only for it to pop up again in this chapter.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the late update.  
> This week was a total emotional roller coaster(except it just kept going down) for me.  
> Friendship issues aside, I find myself feeling too anxious(which in turn, made me sick) to go to school.  
> In addition, art has always been my passion, but recently I started thinking that my art is horrible and I should give up becoming an artist.  
> All this sucks because it felt like the voice in my head is tearing my mind apart.  
> But you didn't come here to read about my rantings, so I apologise and will stop here.
> 
> ____
> 
> There is to clarify some parts of the fic which I was unable to fit inside the story/it was not clear enough:
> 
> 1\. Midorima's father had to attend another seminar, so he had Midorima delivery to medical supplies for the Akashi residence.
> 
> 2\. Midorima went to Kyoto immediately after his school, that's why he was tired(in addition to the long bullet train ride)
> 
> 3\. Doctor Midorima did not tell Midorima anything about the patient or the patient's injuries(doctor-patient confidentiality ), so Midorima had assumed it was Akashi.
> 
> 4\. Based on the medical supplies, Midorima had thought that Akashi was badly injured(on the legs) and couldn't walk/move and hence he needed diapers(diaper rash cream), which, he noticed was not the case the moment Akashi entered the room.
> 
> 5\. Midorima had came to respect Kuroko after learning about what he had been through.
> 
> 6\. Kuroko is able to call Akashi by his full name(Seijuurou) but choose to stick to Juurou.
> 
> 7\. Akashi hadn't attended Kise's fortnightly Miracles meet up ever since he found Kuroko
> 
> 8\. This is extra info, but in one of the special CDs, Midorima admitted that Kuroko had 'cute, round eyes'.
> 
> __________
> 
> Thank you for all the kudos, comments and supports. It keeps me going.


	10. Chapter 10: Trauma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tetsuya had gained the acceptance of Akashi's childhood friend and one of the generation of miracles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: OOCness. Very detailed description of abuse, Graphic description of injuries and pain, Possible triggers, Post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD/panic attacks, And the mayor – because he needs a warning about himself

**Chapter Ten: Trauma**

_Tetsuya has always had low stamina. He tires out easily no matter how many times he was made to do the same physical labours. While his stamina had improved as he grew older, it was still very low compared to the norm. Adding the fact that he was malnourished, extra duties would have easily wrung his stamina dry._

_It had been about three years since he was bought by the plump man he called master. Sometimes, after completing his daily labour quota, his master would make him do odd jobs for his entertainment._

_Master’s friends often came over for a visit to play with his newest collection of slaves – namely Tetsuya. It could be due to the child’s young age, or that he was gullible, or perhaps because of his attractive appearance, but master and his friends find Tetsuya to be irresistible._

_Once, on one of the days where master had his friends over, there was a flu epidemic going around town. With the child’s weak immune (no doubt due to his malnutrition) and lack of vaccinations of any kind, he was one of the first few to be contracting the virus._

_The virus had hit him hard. Tetsuya was suffering from migraines and weakness. His entire body were tired and sore, and he was running a very high grade fever._

_His master had refused to bring him to a doctor, choosing to follow the traditional belief **[i]** that sweating can cure his illness (whether he truly believes in that or that he was too stingy a man to spend some money on a slave, no one knows). But to encourage sweating, that mayor had given him even more jobs than he was used to doing, resulting in extreme exhaustion and overwork._

_By the time he had finished all the assigned jobs, he was dead tired and his body was weak and trembling. He was sweating, indeed, but instead of feeling better, it gave him chills. Even so, master refused to let Tetsuya rest._

_‘My friends are here,’ The disgusting man had said. ‘I want you to serve them alcohol.’_

_Tetsuya, though feeling faintish, obeyed his orders. What other choice does he have? It was either that or a beating._

_So, dragging his heavy head and body to the kitchen, the teal-headed slave opened the fridge and squatted down to grab some alcohol bottles._

_  
When the blast of cold air hits him, Tetsuya felt a mixture of comfort and coldness. The cool air made his head feels good. It eased his migraine and cleared his head a little, but it made his body shiver like crazy. The child felt tempted to just lie down there and rest, for his lids were heavy and his mind were muddled._

_He closed his eyes, enjoying the cool air against his heated face when a loud shout jerked him out of his daze._

_‘Oi fuck toy, hurry up and get those glasses here!’_

_…Oh… His master is calling for him…_

_Though reluctant, the five-year-old Tetsuya heaved his ailing body up to his wobbly feet. He held onto a serving tray on one hand and placed the bottles of alcohol at the top with the other. He then dragged his feet further into the kitchen to retrieve a few clear glasses, placing them on the tray and then balancing said tray with both hands._

_He might have turned too quickly, but a wave of vertigo hit him, causing him to sway and lose his balance. His fever had slowed his reactions and thought process, causing him to be unable to regain his balance in time. And so, glass and alcohol and all, the boy collapsed onto the ground._

_The sound of glass shattering must have alerted his master, for mere moments after he fell, the mayor and his friends came stomping over._

_All the boy saw was their feet, as he was too feeble and drained to even lift his head._

_He felt his master grabbed him by his hair to raise him up, and through his feverish glazed eyes, he saw his master’s mouth moving. He couldn’t make out a word that was said, as the words sounded muffled and distorted to his ears._

_One thing he knows for sure, though: he must have been getting scolded for being clumsy. Seems like a beating is unavoidable now…_

_His master toss him against a ‘wall’, the base of his head hitting against the ledge (since when do walls have a ledge?) the movement causing his head to swim and spin and his vision full of stars._

_Through his dizziness, he barely registered that his head had hit the edge of a kitchen cabinet, for the trauma against his cervical spine sent a tingling sensation down his body, granting him a blissful temporary paralysis._

_“So-r-y…” He choked out. “Sor…ry” He forced his sore throat to speak, hoping that his sincere apologies could ease his punishment somehow._

_When he saw a blurry image of a hand grabbing his arm, he closed his eyes, mentally prepared for a beating to come._

____________

_The mayor was furious. How dare that useless fuck toy wasted precious alcohols?!_

_He slammed the useless slave against the kitchen counter, but the boy appeared to barely register any pain, which annoys him further._

_“So-r-y… Sor…ry” He had heard the boy say._

_Pfft! Sorry? Like real he is. He doesn’t even sound sincere at all. Maybe he should teach that damn fuck toy a lesson for destroying his things._

_He grabbed the slave by his skinny arms – he is all skin and bones it’s disgusting – and when he saw the boy flinch, an ingenious idea popped into his genius mind._

_He raised a shard of shatter glass, said broken item glittered and shined against the kitchen light._

_This should teach the damn slave not to break my stuff._

____________

_A sharp, sickening pain was totally unexpected, and it tore a scream out of his already hurting throat. He opened his feverish eyelids to see his master holding on to several glass shards in his hands._

_The mayor was relentless in his attack. Sometimes, he would slash at the weakened slave, leaving superficial scars and scratches. Sometimes, he made sure to hack quickly and deeply, cutting through whatever flesh that covered the tiny thing’s bones. Other times, he made sure to go slow, watching the skin and flesh opened up for the shard, and then slowly dragging it down, gazing with twisted satisfaction as the skin and flesh tore apart like paper with a pen knife._

_Every scream he got from the_ thing[ii] _filled him with pleasure and gratification. When he wants a longer and more agony-filled scream, he would stab the shard deep into the slave’s body, twisting and turning the shard around, observing red blood flowing out of the wound as the_ thing _twisted and squirmed and fight against him, all the while screaming in pain and pleading for mercy._

____________

_He had been punished before: with punches and kicks that leaves him with blue-blacks that became tender but never broke the skin. This is the first time master had ever punished him by cutting and slashing him._

_It was a sharp, intense and burning pain instead of the dull, throbbing pain he gets from the kicks and punches. Screams after screams were forced out of him as master dragged the glass down his arm slowly or twist and turn and wiggle with the shard still lodged in his skin. For the first time since he came here, red liquid came out of his body – one that he would learn to call ‘blood’ in the very distant future._

_Amid all his cries of agony, Tetsuya squeezed in apologies and pleadings for mercy, but they were all ignored by his crooked master._

_Deciding that his master isn’t going to help him, the slave tried to reach out to his master’s friend, hoping that at least one of them would show a bit of mercy._

_How very naïve of him._

_It was at that point where he truly understood his fate as a slave._

_It doesn’t matter that you have a fever; it doesn’t matter that you are bleeding and in pain; it doesn’t matter that you pleaded and begged for help and mercy; it doesn’t matter that you repeated your apologies until your throat became sore. No one would look your way or bat an eyelid at your suffering. No one would help you and reach out to you. Not if you are a slave, for slaves are the lowest of the low, they are things to be owned and things to be discarded._

_Slaves are not humans._

_Not in their eyes._

____________

Immediately after hearing the crash  and scream, Akashi Seijuurou and Midorima Shintarou rushed to the kitchen to investigate, only to find themselves face-to-face with a worried maid and a hysterical Tetsuya.

 

The teal boy was curled up among the sea of shattered ceramic and hot tea, arms covering his face as he screamed and cried. The maid was crouching near him, trying desperately, but to no avail, to calm him so that he would not accidentally hurt himself with the hot tea and ceramic shards around him.

 

“Tetsuya!!!” Akashi exclaimed, shocked at the sight before him.

 

At the sound of his name being called, the boy merely cried harder, his screams rising in pitch as his body trembled. He seemed to be fighting an imaginary enemy, for he was flailing and struggling even though there were nothing restraining him.

 

This was like the repeat of what had happened during the bath time when Akashi discovered Tetsuya stealing food.

 

The redhead would have tackled this like how he did during that situation, except that _that_ would not be the best solution this time as not only is he surrounded by hazards, his breathing is also getting faster and harsher, on the verge of a panic attack.

 

Akashi couldn’t just wait for the boy to return to his senses, as he could easily hurt himself in his blind panic and confused state.

 

He knew what he had to do to keep Tetsuya out of the danger zone, but that doesn’t make it any easier for him.

 

Taking a deep breath, Akashi swiftly avoided the broken ceramics to the boy and quickly scooped the boy up in his arms before retreating to a safer place, allowing the maid to clean away the shards.

 

The effect was immediate. The moment he felt someone touching him, Tetsuya let out a screech of pure terror and started struggling and fighting against Akashi’s tight grip on him, which, in turn, causing the taller male to tighten his grip to keep the boy from falling.

 

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!!! Didn’t mean to! Didn’t mean to!!!” He wailed as he wrestled against Akashi’s hold.

 

As soon as they were a safe distance away from the danger hazard, Akashi immediately sat on the floor, tucking the squirming boy close to him.

 

“Midorima, please leave us.” The Akashi heir commanded as he gave the terrified boy his full attention.

 

“Shh… It’s me, Tetsuya, you are safe here.”

 

The other boy continued to cry and struggle against him, curling up into a foetal position to defend himself when he ran out of stamina.

 

Upon a closer observation of the boy, Akashi noticed that he had his eyes opened, but they were glazed, as if he was staring at something far away.

 

 _He probably is,_ Akashi thought grimly. _He is probably recalling about his abuse, getting lost in his memories and unable to find his way back._

Akashi hugged the trembling teal close to him, tucking him under his chin.

 

“Breathe slowly, Tetsuya, calm down.” He rocked the boy back and forth, hoping that his voice could reach the lost boy, and that the movement can sooth him even by the tiniest bit.

 

__________

 

When he felt someone touching him, he let out a scream of pure terror. He fought against the hold with all that he had, but the grip around him was too strong, and he felt himself being lifted.

 

He had expected to be thrown, because that’s what master always does when he lifts him – thrown against the wall to be kicked and punched, so he was a slightly bit alarmed when he was brought down gently and was surrounded by warmth.

 

No, no! This can’t be real. Don’t get fooled! Master would not let him off just like that.

 

Master would kick him. Master would punch him. Master would pick up the broken shards and start slashing him with it. Master would laugh as he cried in pain, his tears mixing with the red thing – blood, he corrected himself. And if master is feeling particularly cruel, he would pour salt over his wounds. When that happens, there is nothing he can do. Every movement caused intense pain. It is as if his wounds are being chewed on by ants, even the tiniest of cuts would feel like it is burning – his pain receptors felt like they are a hundred times more sensitive.

 

As if on cue, Tetsuya felt his old, healed wound flared up in pain[iv]. It only served to convince him that the pain is real, the abuse is real, prompting him to renew in his struggles and cries. The teal knew that it is hopeless, but he still tried screaming and begging for forgiveness and mercy, futilely hoping for his master to ease up on him.

 

“I am sorry! I am sorry! Please, please, please, please, please!” He pleaded for the pain to stop, and the let out another ear piercing screamed when he thought he felt that tell-tale burning sting of salt contacting his wounds.

 

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

 

_Juurou! That right, Juurou would save him. The redheaded angel would rescue him from his pain._

 

“Juurou!!! Juurou help!!!” The teal boy desperately cried.

 

__________

 

Akashi had absolutely no idea what was going on in the mind of the smaller boy. He could only guess that he was reliving the incidents of his abuse, and the redhead simply held the boy tightly, trying his hardest to let him know that he is safe, and also to prevent him from hurting himself and others.

 

Overtime, the teal’s struggles seemed to die down, though not completely. He must have run out of energy and stamina to continue the fight – Akashi was somewhat grateful for that; even he has had a hard time holding the boy in place.

 

The boy wheezed and gasped against him as his body trembled violently from his panic attacks. He felt the boy’s hands became cold and clammy, inwardly hoping for Tetsuya to snap out of his memories and regain his breathing. It is not a good idea for him to be taking in too much oxygen.

 

All of the sudden, the boy renewed in struggles, and he began crying and screaming in earnest.

 

“I am sorry! I am sorry! Please, please, please, please, please!” He begged at nothing, followed by an ear-piercing scream that made the heir flinch and his heart clench painfully.

 

Akashi felt his heart ache and twist at that. How many times had he witness Tetsuya screamed and cried and begged for forgiveness and mercy? During the cause of his caring for the teal, the teal had attacks similar to this far more times than his fingers and toes combine. Yet, strangely enough, Akashi Seijuurou can never get used to his cries of terror.

 

“Juurou!!! Juurou help!!!” He cried.

 

Akashi perked up at that. If anything, this is his chance to bring the boy back to the present. Securing the boy closer to him, Akashi gently caressed the boy’s hair with his free hand. He resumed the rocking motion he had stopped during the boy’s renewed struggles.

 

“Shh… Tetsuya, I am here, I am here.” He murmured into the boy’s ears. “You will be fine. No one would hurt you here.”

 

His voice seemed to do the trick, for the boy suddenly ceased his struggles, and after a long while, an eye peeked open to look at the person embracing him.

 

“Hey…” Akashi greeted with a smile when their eyes met.

 

Seeing the redhead’s kind and caring eyes sent a wave of relief over the teal. He slumped against the red boy and hugged him tightly, crying into his chest while speaking gibberish.

 

All Akashi would hear was ‘Master, ‘Salt, ‘Cut’, ‘Blood’, ‘Sorry’ and ‘Scared’.

 

It isn’t much, but it is enough for the Akashi genius to figure out the memory Tetsuya was reliving through before. Heck, you probably don’t even have to be a genius to figure out what he was seeing before.

 

The Juurou said nothing. He simply tucked the boy under him, as if encasing his small frame and shielding him from the world. He rocked his body gently back and forth, humming his mother’s lullaby, allowing Tetsuya to cry all his fears out.

 

He felt a flash of anger at the currently jailed mayor. He wanted to travel back in time to steal Tetsuya away, all so that the teal would not have to experience such a traumatic event. Alas, that wouldn’t work. Even if Akashi can reverse time, he was too young to make a change. What’s more, he would have lacked the knowledge of what is happening. Even if he did travel back in time, he probably wouldn’t know that Tetsuya existed.

 

Though that didn’t stop him from wanting to hurt the mayor. He felt the sadistic side to him surfacing. He wanted to cut him, slash him, dangle him by the hair and return the amount of pain he did to Tetsuya twice fold. Letting him die would be too much of a mercy. Akashi would ensure that he would survive through those injuries, living in constant fear of when the next attack would come. He would drive the former mayor to the state of insanity.

 

Suddenly, life imprisonment seemed far too merciful to a despicable creature such as the former mayor. Akashi’s darker side vaguely thought that the mayor should count himself lucky to be imprisoned, for the prison is far safer than whatever Akashi had thought of doing to him. To be honest, those thoughts startled even Akashi himself. He never knew that he was capable of such dark thoughts.

 

The redhead was brought back to reality by a whimper from the boy in his arms. Murmuring words of comfort into the still trembling teen’s ears, Akashi pushed all his dark desires aside to instead focus on consoling the terrified teen.

 

__________

 

Midorima Shintarou stood rooted to the ground despite the earlier command to leave. As the son of a renowned doctor, Midorima felt complied to step in to help with the situation. However, something was telling him not to, that him stepping in would only cause more harm than good. Hence, Midorima stood by the doorway to the kitchen, watching the scene and feeling helpless and growing tenser as seconds ticked by.

 

Eventually, when the teal boy – Tetsuya, he recalled – started calling for Akashi, the younger Midorima heaved a silent sigh of relief. Calling for Akashi meant that the boy was getting out of his traumatic memories. And seeing as Akashi was successful in doing so, he waited for a few minutes to ensure that everything would be fine before leaving the mansion as per Akashi’s previous wishes.

 

He paused when he felt a change in his old captain’s aura – it was a painfully familiar change – one that happened during the final year in Teiko. The green haired teen turned his none pivoted foot, contemplating whether to head back. As quickly as the aura had come, however, it also left, leaving him to continue his previous journey with slight trepidation.

 

Evening colours greeted him as he exited the Akashi mansion. He didn’t realise that so much time had passed. He signed and ran a hand through his hair. It was rather uncharacteristic of him to do so, but in addition to the stress of witnessing the scene before, just thinking that it would be night time by the time he reached home in Tokyo made him feel even more exhausted and tired.

 

That incident had left Midorima rather dumbfounded. Akashi Seijuurou had been kind and gentlemanly before his sudden change in Middle School. But even so, he had never seen Akashi display such kindness and tenderness to someone. Had he been told that Akashi can calm down a deeply traumatized victim of abuse without witnessing that, Midorima would have frown and told the person to tell a better joke.

 

To think that Akashi, his childhood friend and former captain of Teiko Basketball club had that tender side to him… it was an unbelievable eye opener, and he found himself thinking that Akashi might have changed a little since meeting Tetsuya.

 

He would hate to admit this, but Akashi was once again right. Tetsuya would not benefit from a psychologist. In fact, sending him away at this point would only bring about more harm than good. At this point, Tetsuya had already built bonds and trust with Akashi. He is attached to Akashi and only Akashi. No one else would do. His father probably arrived at the same conclusion after seeing how close and attached the boy is to Akashi.

 

And if Midorima initially thinks that Akashi is unfit to help Tetsuya, the incident just now had told him otherwise, for Akashi had proven himself to be capable of bringing Tetsuya out of his panic attacks.

 

If anything, Midorima now believes that Tetsuya had brought out a side to Akashi that no one had seen before.

 

Akashi appeared to be more caring and more cheerful now, and Tetsuya is likely to be the cost of the change.

 

The green haired teen smiled a little at that. Akashi and Tetsuya appeared to be sharing a mutualistic relationship. Akashi helped the boy with his trauma, and the boy, in turn, helped Akashi develop the empathetic side of him.

 

Tetsuya is good for Akashi.

 

* * *

 

 

[i] There were myths among Asians of the past (not sure about Europeans) that sweating can reduce fever, so the sick were encouraged to go outside to ‘sweat the fever out’.

[ii] Thing, in that case, refers to Kuroko, as a way to dehumanized him into an object

[iii] Pouring salt over wounds would not cause your receptors to be a hundred times more sensitive. It was just an exaggeration to illustrate how painful it is.

In truth (and skipping all the science explanations), pain receptors become much more sensitized when a tissue is damaged (there is no estimation of how much more sensitive it becomes as depending on situations and people, one may be more sensitive than the other).  Adding salt further damages said tissues, resulting in intense pain – both from the further damage and from the oversensitive receptors.

[iv] It is possible to feel pain in old, healed scars as pain is a sensation perceived by the brain, and not by the skin. If the mind thinks that you are in danger, it can trigger pain in the affected part of the limb even though it is fully healed. In this case, Kuroko’s mind (his delirium) tells him that he is in danger, prompting his old wounds to act up to get him to escape from his ‘perceived’ danger (it is, however, possible to not feel any pain when you are injured if the pain wouldn’t help you get away from danger – usually adrenaline takes over in this case.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life sucks, school sucks, everything sucks. I even had a shit teacher who was plain insulting and insensitive. My institute is a slave driver, and my exams are coming soon, so I barely had time to continue writing the fic. What's more, I reached a writers block and can't seemed to continue on.  
> I tried writing several chapters when I have time so that I can keep a steady update, so a weekly update would still be going on for a while more. Going to school brings anxiety, seeing people brings anxiety, talking brings anxiety, seeing a medical professional for help also brings anxiety. Everything brings anxiety.  
> But despite all the stress though, the posting of this chapter has been rather relaxing. And the reason behind that was due to me knowing that there are a lot of people who actually liked and supported this fic. Thank you very much, everyone.  
> ___________________________
> 
> With regards to Midorima's dilemma of whether to step in to help or not has something to do with a pride of a medic.  
> It might be only me, but I was formerly a first aider, and not everything can be treated using first aid. For some conditions, the best a first aider can do is to check the casualties' vital signs and wait for the ambulance to arrive. I have often seen cases like this while helping out in school. The stressful part about it is that people with no medical background simply assumed that we are useless and not doing anything to help, when in actual fact, there's nothing more we could do besides the general treatment.  
> Also are also cases where stepping in to help can only cause more harm, for example, cases for those with serious anxiety issues. Having a complete stranger go to you(regardless whether he is first aid trained or not) can result in a greater panic. In this case, I generally feel very useless. 'I am first aid trained and experienced, yet I can't help in to help because it will worsen the situation.' This is what Midorima was feeling when he felt complied to help.  
> ~~~~~~
> 
> Kuroko was 2 years old when he was sold as a slave. He was also of that same age when the mayor bought him.  
> 3 years after that, when he was 5 years old, the epidemic and broken alcohol bottles happened.  
> Kuroko is now 17 years old, the same age as Akashi.  
> While this universe deviates from the canon universe, Seirin had still won the WinterCup and Akashi suffered his first loss against Kagami. So Akashi is in the second year of high school. The timing now is after Interhigh but before Wintercup of the second year.  
> _______________
> 
> If there are anything about the chapter that you are unsure of, please do ask and I will clarify it in the end notes.
> 
> Also, I have been saying this from the start of the fic but, thank you so much for all your support. Please do comment to tell me what you think of the story. :)


	11. Chapter 11: Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tetsuya's down with a fever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: OOCness.

**Chapter Eleven: Fever**

“Juuuuurou…” Tetsuya mumbled pitifully.

 

“Shh… I am here.” Akashi patted the boy’s chest which was covered in a comforter.

 

Akashi had woken up to Tetsuya whimpering and clutching his head in the morning. Thinking that he had had another nightmare, Akashi had attempted to shake him awake only to realised that his skin was a lot hotter than usual.

 

The redhead initially had a guest room for the boy. However, with the boy’s constant sneaking into his room in the middle on the night to sleep on the floor (as he feels the safest being near his Juurou), Akashi lets him sleep beside him instead. Besides, it makes more convenient for Akashi to wake the boy up when he is having nightmares – which is practically every day.

 

Anyways, he had apparently come down with a sudden fever the morning after the broken ceramic incident in the kitchen, which happened just yesterday. There were no flu bugs going around, and after a physical examination by Doctor Midorima, it was concluded that his fever was not caused by virus or bacteria of any sorts. He suspected that emotional stress caused by the incident had cause his fever – psychogenic fever, or stress induced hyperthermia.

 

It was still quite a new concept – still a recently discovered and named condition, hence many doctors are not aware of the possibility of fever caused by emotional stress. Akashi is glad that Doctor Midorima is very well informed of the latest discoveries of medicines and illnesses, for it enabled him to treat Tetsuya where normal fever-reducing medicines don’t work.

 

A whimper broke him out of his thoughts as Tetsuya squirmed in his cocoon of a blanket. His fever had given him chills and migraine, and the insistent pounding of his brain made it difficult for him to rest.

 

Before he left, Doctor Midorima had given the teal some mild sedatives, hoping it would ease both Tetsuya’s pain and fever[i], enabling him to get some rest.

 

Akashi caressed Tetsuya’s head soothingly as the other boy’s movement ceased and fell into a deep sleep, his chest rising up and down at a slow, steady rate. Once he was certain that the boy is sound asleep and wouldn’t wake up for a while, the redhead changed the wet towel over his head before he left the boy’s side to an empty room to study for his upcoming examinations.

 

Akashi’s room had been kept dark so that it would not aggravate the boy’s migraine and would help him to sleep. As a result, Akashi was forced to move to another room to study. It may be a little inconvenient, but ‘anything for Tetsuya and his comfort’, was what Akashi had told himself.

 

Physiological symptoms aside, Tetsuya suffered frequent and worse nightmares while in his fevered state. Well, perhaps night terrors[ii] would be a better description – Tetsuya wouldn’t wake up no matter how hard Akashi shook him or how loud his name was called.

 

Thanks to that, Akashi hadn’t had a good night’s rest in a long while. He was often being woken up either by Tetsuya struggling and crying out, or by the alarm he’d set to inform him to change the wet cloth that was draped over the fevered boy’s forehead. Sometimes, when the other broke up in cold sweat, Akashi would prepare lukewarm water to wipe him down and help him a change his clothes.

 

No doubt, the situation is taking a toll on Akashi.

 

__________

 

Hours had passed since the redhead revised his work in the guestroom. Deciding that he can’t handle being in a stuffy room any longer, he stood up to stretch his tensed muscles before changing into some exercising clothes to jog round the Akashi property.

 

Since he couldn’t concentrate on his studies – his mind filled with worries of Tetsuya and his fever – Akashi decided that he needed some fresh air to clear his mind.

 

Shortly after he walked out of the main door and started his jog, a figure walked into the mansion.

 

__________

 

Tetsuya whined in discomfort as the pounding in his head brought him out of his sleep. While it was no longer as intense as before, the migraine is still causing him pain.

 

He blinked his blue eyes to clear them of its sleepiness as he looked around the dark room in feverish haze for his Juurou. During his sleep, he had had a strange dream. He dreamt that his Juurou angel had faded away from him, and no matter how hard he cried or plead, Juurou couldn’t return to him. It was terrifying, when he tried to reach out of Juurou but felt nothing but air. That’s why, he wanted to find Juurou, touch Juurou and make sure that Juurou is real, that Juurou wouldn’t live him.

 

Seeing as Juurou was not in the room, Tetsuya staggered out of the bed to look for him. He shivered vigorously when his feet touched the ground, the contrast between his temperature and the surroundings was simply too vast. Pulling the comforter from the king size bed, he wrapped it around his shoulders, much like a king robe but with a large amount of ‘leftovers’ being dragged on the floor, and wobbled out the door.

 

__________

 

Akashi Masaomi, father of Akashi Seijuurou, trusted friend of the Japanese Government and Emperor and revered leader of the Akashi conglomerate arrived at the driveway of the Akashi branch house in Kyoto for the first time in a long time. The last time he had been here was to check and ensure that Seijuurou had settled down and was ready to make his debut in Rakuzan, which was to say, more than a year ago.

 

Akashi Masaomi is strict with his son and would accept nothing less than perfection from him. While his strictness may make him seem like a neglecting father who cares about nothing but wealth and reputation, Masaomi, in fact, cares about the wellbeing of Seijuurou.

 

It may be unknown to his son, as they had never really communicated much besides the usual ‘How are your studies’ – typical parent and child conversation topics, but he truly cared about his son is doing. His own parents had never really paid much attention to him, and he picked up his parenting skill from them[iii], making him seemed cold and uncaring.

 

While it is true that he had given Akashi a lot of work and classes shortly after his wife’s, Shiori’s, death, his real intention was to keep his son occupied so that he would not grief over his mother, also the reason why he drowned himself in his work more than ever, neglecting his son. For his son reminded him too much of his wife that he could not focus.

 

As Seijuurou had never once complained about the stress and had always shown perfection in every classes he was enrolled in, Masaomi had assumed that Seijuurou was able to cope with the workload.

 

That was, until Seijuurou had come clean to him about his workload and stress nearing the end of his first year in Rakuzan that Masaomi had eased up on him a little. Apparently, his first experience of loss in a basketball match… in his whole life… had led to him opening up to his father.

 

It was just that; their problems were due to the lack of communication.

 

Though, we digressed. Akashi Masaomi’s purpose of visiting his son today, was due to the increased visit of the Akashi personal doctor. The household helpers in the Akashi family run in a rather complicated system, but to put it simply, the household maids of similar duties were headed by a personal butler, and all personal butlers in the Akashi family are being headed by a head butler, who is also Akashi Masaomi’s personal butler. All butlers are expected to write a report to their head butler at the end of every week. The head of all butlers would then inform the elder Akashi of the happenings around the house.

 

Recently, Masaomi had been hearing cases of Doctor Midorima visiting the Kyoto mansion. During the first visit and subsequent follow ups, he had assumed that his son was merely feeling unwell. However, the continuous visits for months had caught his attention and worried him, thinking that his son had developed a chronic medical condition much like his wife, causing him to free up his schedule for the day to visit his only son.

 

__________

 

Masaomi nodded his head as the household helpers line up along the path into the house and bowed as he walked into the house. He dismissed all the household helpers to go back to doing their jobs. When all of them gone, the elder redhead took in the smell of the mansion and looked at his surroundings. The branch house hasn’t changed much in appearance compared to when he last came. The only subtle difference was that the mansion appeared more lived-in and warm. He was about to head to Seijuurou’s room when an unusual gait caught his attention.

 

He frowned, for it was unnatural for him to miss something. The strange boy even had a comforter wrapped around him: it should have been very noticeable. If not for his unsteady movements, the middle-aged redhead would have overlooked him.

 

Masaomi was about to call out to him, to demand what a stranger like him was doing in _his_ mansion, when the teal boy suddenly turned to his direction and staggered towards him.

 

__________

 

Tetsuya walked from one end of the hallway to the other, looking through every door for his Juurou. The maids were cleaning the extra rooms, not a single one of them noticing that the sick boy was out and about.

 

All of the sudden, the maids halted in their duties and ran towards the main door.

 

Initially, the boy ignored the sudden commotion, preferring to instead search through the rest of the rooms. However, a thought occurred to him that Juurou might have left the mansion and had just returned.

 

He turned his head to look at the newcomer, only to see the maid lining up by each side of the door and bowing as a redhead entered to mansion.

 

Through his blurred vision, all he saw was the red hair, and he instantly assumed it was his Juurou. Tetsuya turned to walk towards his ‘Juurou’, only to nearly tumble down due to the remaining comforters that was bunched around his feet on the floor. His staggers seemed to catch the redheaded person’s attention, the man turning in his direction.

  
Regaining his balance, the teal-head wobbled towards the redhead.

 

“Juurou… Juurou…” He whined as he got closer. When he was about a metre away from the ‘Juurou’, Tetsuya spread his hands open, wanting Juurou’s embrace. The action had caused the comforter around him to drop to the floor.

 

__________

 

_Juurou… is he referring to… Seijuurou?_

 

Masaomi was stunned when the small bundle of teal approached him with hands outstretched.

 

He jerked at the contact when the boy wrapped his arms around his torso. How long has it been since he had been hugged? Definitely more than a decade, that’s for sure.

 

When the boy had his arms around the him, he squeezed the torso and then rub his cheeks on his suit like a cat. Masaomi noticed that the boy was unusually warm. He was about to push the teal away when the boy’s hold around him slackened and he sunk onto the floor in an unconscious heap.

 

The redhead grab hold onto Tetsuya’s shoulder out of reflex the moment he began to slide down. Squatting down to better adjust the boy in his arms, Masaomi noticed that the boy’s face was flushed and breathing heavy from fever.

 

The teal-headed boy shivered badly from his surroundings. Feeling a human warmth beside him, the boy instinctively grab hold onto his suit, trying to bury himself deeper into the warmth.

 

“Mm-!” The teal frowned and wiggled before settling down in ‘Juurou’’s arms.

 

Masaomi swatted the boy in the comforter before lifting him up in cradle-style, surprised by how light the boy was. He intended to bring the boy into the guest room for treatment before questioning about the boy’s identity. He was about to call for a maid when the main door opened from behind him.

 

“Father.”

 

__________

 

He had really needed the run, Akashi mused as he strolled back towards the main door of the mansion. His mind had cleared and he felt much more refreshed. The run has centred his thoughts and he felt confident that he could focus on his revision now.

 

When the redhead entered the mansion, he had intended to check on Tetsuya before taking a shower. However, his plans were pushed to a halt at the scene beyond the door.

 

He wasn’t exactly sure what he expected, but the scene of his father carrying a sleeping Tetsuya who was wrapped up like an infant had him blinking.

 

“Father.” Akashi Seijuurou greeted.

 

__________

 

Hearing his title being called, Masaomi tilted his head to see his son standing by the main door looking utterly confused.  
  
“Seijuurou.” He greeted back as if he wasn’t doing anything out of ordinary.

 

“Father…” The younger Akashi started, unsure as to how to respond. “What are you doing to Tetsuya?” Akashi gestured with his head at the flushed teal in his father’s arms.

 

“Ah, I caught him wandering around the house. He came towards me and hugged me before collapsing. I was about to carry him to the guest room when you appeared.”

 

Akashi frowned at that. It is unusual for Tetsuya to approach a stranger without Akashi around.

 

Approaching his father with his eyes fixed on the teal, Akashi reached out a palm to feel at Tetsuya’s forehead. He frowned when he noticed that it seemed to be warmer than before. Though redhead knows that feeling for temperature using the palm is not at all an accurate measurement, he had just come back from a run, hence his core body temperature is higher than usual. The fact that felt that the boy’s head was warmer – even more so compared to before – likely proved that his temperature had only spiked up.

 

“I will take over from here, father.” He said as he tried to take the teal from his father.

 

Feeling the body heat living him, the sick male whimpered and clutch onto Masaomi’s suit tightly, refusing to let go and causing slight creases on the expensive suit. He was determined not to have ‘Juurou’ leave him in the cold.

 

The younger Akashi sighed. Sick or not, Tetsuya can be rather stubborn. “Father, seeing as he refuses to let you go, could be bring him into my room?”

 

The older Akashi raised a brow at that. His son never really liked having people in his room, himself included. What is so special about this boy that would cause his son to change?

 

Masaomi, however, wordlessly hitched the light boy in his arms higher so that his arms are more secured around him and marched straight to his son’s room, his son following closely behind. He had tons of questions, from who the boy is to what he is doing in the mansion. Though, for now, putting the boy down and treating his fever is first and foremost.

 

Many coaxes from Seijuurou and unconscious whimperings from Tetsuya later, both Akashi males were successful in getting the sick boy settled in bed. Masaomi pulled out the chair from the study table, making himself comfortable on the chair before he started his questioning. Seijuurou, in turn, sat down at the edge of the bed just beside Tetsuya.

 

Feeling Akashi’s body heat near him, the teal rolled onto his side to hug the redhead’s torso against him. The Akashi heir smiled gently at the arms around his torso, giving it a gentle pat before turning his attention to the current Akashi head sitting opposite him.

 

Akashi Masaomi raised a brow slightly when he saw his son smiling at the teal stranger. He had never seen, and never knew that Seijuurou was capable of making such a calming expression. Before he could open his mouth to ask anything, however, Seijuurou beat him to it.

 

“Father, I am sure you have read through my reports about the corrupted mayor,” he paused, only continuing after receiving a nod of acknowledgement from his father.

 

“His name is Tetsuya, one of slaves I have freed. Tetsuya had lived his entire life as a slave because he was sold to the human traffickers when he was still an infant. He was then bought by the mayor when he was about two years old. He is foreign to every concept except slavery. I figured that he wouldn’t be able to survive on his own, so I brought him in to teach him about the normal life.”

 

Masaomi kept quiet, thinking. He had indeed read about the slavery, and it had disgusted him to no end. What he didn’t expect was the former mayor to buy a slave as young as two years old. That would explain the boy’s childish manner of speech, he probably had very little exposure to language.

 

“I see... So, what is the cause of his fever?”

 

The heir took a deep breath before explaining whatever that he had told Midorima the day before.

 

__________

 

Akashi Seijuurou followed his father out of the room to the main door with the intention of see him off. His father had been quiet throughout his explanations, only asking at the end of everything whether he could cope with both looking after Tetsuya and completing his duties.

 

He was surprised when his father allowed Tetsuya to remain in the house on the condition that Akashi promised not to compromise on his studies nor his work. He expected to have to put up a fight and thought there would be disagreements. He had even mentally prepared points to counter any possible rebuttals. Needless to say, Akashi was floored but satisfied nonetheless.

 

Upon double checking that the doctor was here for Tetsuya and not his son, and making sure that his son was well and healthy, Masaomi had decided to head back to their main house in Tokyo.

 

“Are you sure you do not want to stay longer, father?” Akashi asked, following his father to the main door. While their father-and-son relationship are still slightly rocky, it is still in the midst on reforming, so Akashi thought to give his father a chance.

 

His father hummed in thought. “My original purpose for coming here was to check out on you as I had assumed you were unwell since I heard that the doctor had been coming over.

 

“Since we have established the fact that the doctor is here for Tetsuya and not you, I supposed I should head back and carry on with my work. Tetsuya doesn’t need a stranger around the house during his recovery.” His father explained as he opened the main door, his personal butler patiently standing by a car waiting for him.

 

“That might be so,” the younger redhead mumbled to himself.

 

“Ah, Seijuurou.” Hearing his name being called, Akashi looked up. “You have changed; you are different now. However, be careful not to get too attached to the boy.” Were his parting words before Masaomi closed the door behind him.

 

Akashi started at the closed door, stunned.

 

_What was that about?_

 

* * *

 

 

[i] As psychogenic fever(or stress induced hyperthermia) is caused by too much stress (psychological) to the mind, the fever are cured not by standard paracetamol or medicine with similar properties but by sedatives instead.

 

[ii]  Unlike nightmares, you usually can’t wake up a person having night terrors. The good thing(or bad thing depending on your perspective) about night terrors is that the sufferer usually have no memory or idea that it had happened to them, though it cause significant amount of stress to the witness/caretaker.

 

[iii] This is based on the experience I had with my family. For clarification sake, I am Asian and traditional/typical parents in Asian families, do not openly show their affections to their children. The children are not neglected in anyway, but they would never show physical affection. My parents ended up becoming somewhat like that. I guess I would be what some person considered to be an emotionally neglected child? I have all the necessities. I just don’t feel the love from my parents, and I grew up believing that they do not care about my wellbeing and emotional state. When I was bullied in school and I told them how hurt and sad I was, I was brushed off, being told that I cried too easily and was too weak, making me believe that they don’t care about me. I am a rather emotionally sensitive child born into an unaffectionate family, you see. And in this case, I assumed Masaomi to have a childhood similar to my parents, resulting in him parenting Akashi like how his parents did (or like how my parents did), and that Akashi just happened to be born more emotionally sensitive than others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty calm after all that tension in the past few chapters. Once again, I will clarify if you have any things you are confused about regarding this fic.
> 
> Thank you for your support, everyone :)
> 
> _____  
> I think stress and insufficient rest is getting to me.
> 
> I am also guilty for posting this instead of doing my homework, but I have been too anxious to get any work done, and I really don't fancy hearing another 'There is somethinf wrong with your mind' speech from that teacher.
> 
> I really hate this anxiety of mine. It's getting in the way of my life.


	12. Chapter 12: Stressful Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The road to recovery is always stressful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Fluff and OOCness

**Chapter Twelve: Stressful Recovery**

After his father had left the house, Akashi went back to his room to check on Tetsuya one more time before carrying on with his original plan: to shower.

 

He had to silence his laughter at the sight. Somehow while he was seeing his father to the door, Tetsuya had managed to cocoon himself in the comforter. He looked like a light steel blue caterpillar with a messy teal head.

 

Seeing as he is sounded asleep, Akashi went to take a quick shower.

 

__________

 

He sighed as lukewarm water slid down his body, washing all the sweat and stickiness away, making his body feel more refreshed and comfortable. Once he was done, he quickly dried himself off and dressed up in comfortable night clothing which consist of a simple T-shirt and three-quarter shorts, seeing as it was almost evening.

 

He then checked on Tetsuya once more before heading into the guest room and continued with his studies.

 

In the guest room, Akashi flipped open his textbooks… and read a paragraph… and jotted down notes… and reread the paragraph… and then read the same paragraph again… and again… and again… and cursed his father.

 

The clear mind he had had after his run was messed up by his father after he had to explain everything that happened. That’s more, his father unusual words kept repeating itself in his head.

 

‘ _You have changed; you are different now. However, be careful not to get too attached to the boy_.’

 

He had changed? How so? He does everything like how he always did. And he is different now? He didn’t feel anything different. He is still the same old Seijuurou. And what did he mean by ‘be careful not to get too attached’?

 

Akashi groaned and flicked his textbook shut. He is not getting any production work done now, no thanks to his father.

 

He wonders if Tetsuya is still asleep…

 

__________

 

After he had his dinner, Akashi carried a tray of chicken porridge – Tetsuya’s all-time favourite – into his room. The redhead dislikes having crumbs on his bed and for his room to smell of food so he generally avoids eating in his room altogether, let alone eating in bed. But seeing as Tetsuya was ill and unable to get out of the bed, he decided to make it an exception.

 

He found that he had been making a lot of exceptions when he comes to the teal boy.

 

Akashi shook Tetsuya awake, sighing in relief as he no longer felt as warm as before. Tetsuya opened one bleary eye, murmuring a rough ‘Juurou’ before slouching up groggily with his eyes closed.

 

Gently pushing the tip of a thermometer against his lips, the teal automatically open his mouth and push it under his tongue. Supporting the thermometer with one hand while readjusting the pillow with another, Akashi guided Tetsuya to lean against the pillow, helping him get comfortable.

 

“38.7…” Akashi read when the thermometer beeped. Removing the thermometer and placing it at the bedside table to be cleaned later, Akashi sat down on the bed beside Tetsuya with a bowl of porridge in his hands.

 

“Let’s get some food in you,” Akashi murmured, making sure to keep his volume down to avoid agitating the other boy’s migraine.

 

The boy nodded his head, stopping with a wince when the movement worsened the throbbing pain in his head.

 

“Juurou…” The teal whined pitifully.

 

Akashi smiled sympathetically at the boy’s whines. Bringing a spoonful of porridge to his own lips, the redhead blow the porridge before bringing it to the other’s mouth.

 

Feeling the spoon against his mouth, Tetsuya opened his mouth a little to slurp the porridge in. He did not want to eat anything, but he wanted to make Juurou proud of him, so he swallowed the porridge, though reluctantly,

 

The Akashi heir could tell that Tetsuya had no appetite, but he appreciated the boy’s effort in taking something in.

 

“Good boy,” He praised, ruffling the teal hair as encouragement before feeding another spoonful of porridge to the boy.

 

Half a bowl of porridge later, Tetsuya had had enough.

 

“No, Juurou... No more…” He pleaded as his eyes welled up in tears. He really couldn’t take in anymore food. His throat felt like it would close up at the thought of swallowing anything more. He is scared. What if Juurou intended to make him finish all of it? He can try, but he is likely to puke out whatever he had swallowed. He didn’t want to disappoint Juurou; he wanted to make Juurou proud; he—

 

“That alright,” Akashi responded. “Thank you for trying your best to eat all of them, Tetsuya, I really appreciate it.”

 

The redhead wiped the teal’s tears away with his thumb before pressing their forehead together. “You did a good job. I am proud of you.” And he really is. He had expected Tetsuya to finish only a quarter of the porridge, but the boy managed until half of it was left.

 

Tetsuya leaned into the touch as his body relaxed in relief. “Juurou…” He murmured, slumping even more as he realised how tired his is.

 

Akashi held onto Tetsuya as he readjusted the pillow back to its original position. He then guided the teal back into lying position after giving him a pill of lorazepam[i]. Before the redhead could leave the bed, however, the sick boy sneaked a hand out to hold on to his wrist.

 

“Juurou… sleep too…?” He asked sleepily.

 

Akashi gave a soft smile. “Yeah, I will join you shortly. Go rest first while I return the tray.” He replied, tucking the hand back into the blankets. He watched the blue eyes closed before grabbing the tray of half eaten porridge to the kitchen.

 

__________

 

As promised, Akashi left the tray in the kitchen for the maids to wrap it up before returning to his room with a book in hand. He frowned and scrunch up his nose as he entered his room, taking in the unpleasant smell of stale air and chicken porridge.

 

Seeing as he was already dressed comfortably, Akashi decided not to change out of his current attire. He walked to towards the window, opening it to let the air in his room circulate before returning to his side of the bed.

 

He settled himself under the comforter, back against the headboard as he opened his book to where he last stopped at. Sensing Juurou near him, Tetsuya once again rolled over to snuggle up against the redhead.

 

Said redhead chuckled at the adorable action and he brought his left hand to caress at the teal hair while supporting his book with the other.

 

__________

 

Tetsuya’s fever remained mild after the next two days. On the fourth day, however, the teal’s fever spiked up so high that Akashi almost had to send him to the hospital. The redhead was filled with worry as he tended to the boy all night, changing his clothes when it got drenched with sweat and constantly replacing the wet cloth on his forehead.

 

Tetsuya himself wasn’t faring any better. Painful migraine assaulted his head as his brain throbbed mercilessly with his heartbeat[ii]. Every movement of his head, every sound and even the nightlights only served to aggravate his aching head.

 

He felt himself whimpering in discomfort.

 

He couldn’t fall asleep, for he was constantly under the mercy of both the migraine and vertigo[iii]. He gripped onto Akashi’s shirt tightly, trying to ground himself as the spinning sensation made him feel as though he would fall off the bed. On the occasion where both the devils decided to ease up on him, he would be haunted by nightmares and night terrors, essentially waking him up shaking and trembling in fear and discomfort.

 

Likewise for Akashi, on the rare occasion where he managed to fall asleep, he would be woken up by the teal’s terrified scream and cry.

 

“Tetsuya…” Akashi called out softly as the boy began to tremble and cry from what it had to be the sixth nightmare that night.

 

Tetsuya snapped his eyes opened, only the shut them tight when a ray from the soft nightlight shot through his eyes to pierce at his brain.

 

“Juurou…” He groaned, burying his head into the redhead’s soft stomach.

 

Akashi cupped the head and cuddled it closer, feeling the teal’s tears seeping through his shirt as the smaller boy’s body wracked with sobs. He understood the other’s frustration. His body must have been exhausted, craving for the rest that it needed, yet he would either be hindered by the pain in his head or be woken up by nightmares of his past.

 

The slightly larger male said nothing. He merely cuddled the boy and let him cry until his tears stopped from exhaustion.

 

Slowly and gently, he placed the boy to lean against the padded headboard. The boy shivered when the comforter slipped off his shoulders, and Akashi merely pull it back up to secure around the boy. Ensuring that the boy would not fall off, he released his grasp on the sick male.

 

“I am going to get you a change of clothes, okay?” Akashi softly murmured.

 

Tetsuya had his eyes closed in exhaustion, but he nodded slightly at Akashi’s words.

 

__________

 

After giving the boy a wipe down and changing him of the clothes that were drenched in cold sweat, Akashi decided to give the boy some sleeping pills to knock him out. Doctor Midorima had predicted that something like this might happen, and had given Akashi some sleeping pills just in case the teal’s nightmare is preventing him from getting his sleep.

 

He was, however, advised not to let Tetsuya take sleeping pills[iv] unless absolutely necessary, due to several reasons.

 

First of all was due to possible aggravation to the gastrointestinal tract. A while after Tetsuya had arrived in the Akashi mansion, Doctor Midorima ran a test to check on how badly his malnutrition had affected his organs. During the check, he found out that the boy’s gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and livers were slightly damaged due to drug abuse in the past. He was already taking a huge risk by giving Tetsuya Lorazepam, which may affect the stomach and cause constipation, to help relieve his psychotic fever. Adding sleeping pills to the list might upset his stomach even more.

 

The second reason was because Doctor Midorima do not wish for Tetsuya to rely on sleeping pills to get rid of nightmares and fall asleep. It is never good for him in the long run.

 

The third reason, was due to the fact that Tetsuya is already taking Lorazepam for his fever. Lorazepam contains sedatives, which lowers blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate and induce drowsiness. Sleeping pills, too, contains mild sedatives. He is worried of the possibility of both drugs emphasising each other’s symptoms, causing medical complications.

 

Despite all the risks, Akashi had no other choice. Discomfort, lack of sleep and nightmares can cause stress in both the body and the mind. Too much of it would only worsen Tetsuya’s fever.

 

And so, Akashi gave Tetsuya the sleeping pill, which knocked him out in less than thirty minutes. The redhead heaved a sigh. He too, was exhausted, but he can’t afford a rest. In order to keep a look out for the medical complications mentioned above, he had to stay awake to monitor Tetsuya’s vital signs every fifteen minutes to be safe.

 

Akashi slid open his bedside drawer to take out a blood pressure machine. The redhead used to have low blood pressure when he was younger, prompting him to keep a blood pressure machine in his room should he ever get a relapse. He expertly strapped it around Tetsuya’s upper arm and let the machine run, taking the boy’s other hand to count for both his pulse rate and his breathing rate. Once he was done, he took Tetsuya’s temperature and recorded his vital signs and timing on a piece of paper. The wary boy then set a countdown of fifteen minutes on his phone to remind him of the time. He made sure that the phone alarm was soft so as not to wake Tetsuya up or aggravate his migraine, if he was still having one.

 

With an exhausted sigh, Akashi placed his phone on the bedside cupboard and picked up his book to read.

 

__________

 

The first two hours after he had taken the drug were the most dangerous. Tetsuya’s pulse rate, breathing rate and blood pressure had dropped to the low range, though not low enough to have to be taken to the hospital. This had caused Akashi to be worried and had checked his vitals every five minutes.

 

By the third hour or so, his vital signs had rose back up to normal, and his fever had dropped from 39.6°C to 37.6°C. Akashi allowed himself to ease up a little by checking his vitals every thirty minutes.

 

By the fifth hour, Tetsuya’s vitals had remained stable and his temperature lingered around 37.4°C before dropping to 36.8°C. It was almost as if his fever were giving one last resistance; one final blaze of glory before dying off. And it was only when it did then Akashi checked his vital every two hours and allowed himself to drift into an uneasy sleep.

 

Time check: it was around 6am when he slept.

 

__________

 

Akashi woke up at around 1pm to Tetsuya leaning over him and sucking on his red hair.

 

“Tetsuya… what are you doing?” He asked, his voice rough from sleep.

 

The teal boy jumped when he heard his name being called. Quickly unlatching himself from the red strands that were wet from his saliva, the smaller boy proceeded to give Akashi his brightest, most innocent smile.

 

Akashi sighed in relief when he saw that Tetsuya’s eyes were clear and alert, unlike how they looked when he still had fever. _It’s good that he is feeling better then._

“Wonder how Juurou’s hair taste like.” The not-so-innocent boy replied.

 

“Oh? And why the sudden curiosity?” Akashi’s voice sounded strain as he stretched his body, feeling his tensed muscles relaxed at that stretch.

 

“Woke up to Juurou sleeping. Juurou’s hair is red. Wonder if it tastes like blood. Red tastes like blood.”

 

Akashi let out of relaxed sigh. “So, does my hair tastes like blood?”

 

Tetsuya shook his head, “Uh-uh. Juurou hair taste like sand-dal…sandle…woo[v]—shampoo!” He declared finally.

 

“Well, that goes without saying. I wash my hair with—wait. How do you know what my shampoo taste like?”

 

Tetsuya’s eyes were wide, as if he was caught in the act. “Tetsuya loves Juurou smell!” He changed the subject, burying his nose into Akashi’s red strands and sniffing at it.

 

Akashi sighed. Knowing Tetsuya, he must have tried licking his shampoo to satisfy his immense curiosity… Seeing as he won’t be getting anymore sleep with Tetsuya up and about, Akashi decided to get himself ready to start the day… or to complete the rest of the day. He dragged Tetsuya out of the bed into the bathroom, handled the boy his toothbrush with toothpaste on it before spreading paste over his own and started brushing his teeth.

 

“How are you feeling right now, Tetsuya?” Akashi asked as he cleaned the thermometer tip.

 

“Good~” The teal cooed as his raised both hands in the air.

 

“Well, we will still check to make sure,” Akashi popped the thermometer into the boy’s mouth.

 

The boy sat down obediently, waiting for the thermometer to beep.

 

“36.5, looks like the fever is gone now.” Akashi read as he cleaned off the thermometer and place it back into its casing. He looked up to see Tetsuya rolling about happily in their bed.

 

“Let’s go to the kitchen, Tetsuya. I don’t know about you, but I am hungry.”

 

__________

 

 

Tetsuya was cuddling against Akashi’s pillow as Akashi prepared a bath for him. The tealhead had recovered from his fever and managed to finish all his lunch today, so Akashi decided to reward him by giving him a surprise.

 

Akashi threw a bubble bath bomb into the bath together with the running tap and watched as the bomb dissolved into bubbles and the room exploded with the smell of milk bath. Most of the wounds on the other boy’s body had closed, so the bubble bath shouldn’t sting his wounds.

 

“Tetsuya!” He called when the bath was ready.

 

Hearing his name being called, Tetsuya threw Akashi’s pillow aside to ran into the bathroom where the redhead was. He popped his head in and squealed in surprise and excitement when he saw the tub full of bubbles.

 

Delighted, Tetsuya, shirts and pants and all, tried to jump into the tub.

 

“Hold your horses,” Akashi warned, grabbing the teal by the elbows before he could jump in. “Remove your clothes and wash your body first.” Akashi told him sternly.

 

Tetsuya pouted in disappointment. He slowly removed his clothes before a grin broke through his face. He randomly toss his clothes aside and ran beneath the showerhead to give his body a quick wash before jumping straight into the tub.

 

Akashi did the same, though at a much slower pace. He removed his clothes and threw both his and Tetsuya’s into the laundry basket before stepping into the shower. Scrubbing his body with soap, Akashi washed himself off and dried his body, sitting by the side of the tub and watching Tetsuya with amusement.

 

Akashi couldn’t see the teal through the sea of bubbles, that is, until the teal decided to pop his head out of the tub.  
  
“Juurou join too! Please!” He begged, grabbing hold onto Akashi’s arm and causing the bubbles to cling onto his skin.  
  
“You sure, Tetsuya?” Akashi asked. He was worried that having a naked male in close proximity to him would cause Tetsuya to flip out.

 

“Join, join Juurou!” Tetsuya chanted.

 

Akashi sighed and obliged. Akashi usually doesn’t take baths as he thinks that it is a waste of time. However, he wanted to reward and cheer Tetsuya up after days of being bedridden with fever, so Akashi made it an exception.

 

He sighed when he was body was submerged in the warm bath water. He hadn’t realised that his body needed the warmth to relax his tensed muscles until Tetsuya dragged him in.

 

__________

 

The boy was truly a bundle of delight, Akashi mused as he watched Tetsuya played with the bubbles. The teal buried himself in the bubbles, built a mountain out of bubbles and blew and flapped his arms around to make them fly.

 

“What are you doing, Tetsuya?” Akashi questioned as said boy piled a handful of bubbled onto Akashi’s red hair.

 

“Juurouneko!” Tetsuya exclaimed as he moulded the bubbles on Akashi’s head into cat ears. “Nyaa~” He cried as he squatted in front of Akashi.

 

The boy then pile the bubbles on his own head, shaping them into two triangles. “Nyaaaaaaa~” He cried again as he fisted his hand downwards like a cat.

 

The entire room resounded with Akashi’s soft laughter as he couldn’t hold it in anymore. The teal’s actions were simply too cute. He opened his eyes to look at the smaller boy only to laugh again when he received the look of utter confusion. As he smiled, he felt the stress and tension from the past few days melted away from his body completely.

 

Tetsuya is seriously too adorable for his own good!

 

 

* * *

 

 

[i]Lorazepam is a pill my doctor prescribed to help me with in the event of anxiety. It has mild sedative effects that can calm me down during panic attacks, so it is only used as and when necessary. Sertraline, on the other hand, is a long-term medication I take to treat both my depression and anxiety.

Update: it’s been changed to Escitalopram, also known as Lexapro as Sertraline didn't really help.

 

[ii] For lucky souls who never had to experience the cruelty of migraines, it is a throbbing pain in any half of your brain(left side, right side, front side, back side of the brain etc) The throbbing is usually in time with your heartbeat like you know when you have a small bleeding and you put a plaster over it and you have feel it throbbing along with your heartbeat? It is similar, except it’s in your brain and 10 times worse so much so that you wished your heart would stop beating. Light, noises and certain movements including turning of heads or speaking can worsen the pain.

 

[iii] Again, for the lucky souls, vertigo is a spinning sensation you felt in your head. To give an accurate analogy, surely most of us would spin in circles when we are young? And when you suddenly stopped spinning, the world around you continue to spin even though your body has stopped moving. If you wish to experience how vertigo is like, spin in circles and stop and look at your surroundings.

 

[iv] The sleeping pill mentioned is Melatonin

 

[v] He was trying to say sandalwood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes to readers: facts for medicines about Doctor Midorima not wanting to give sleeping pills has been edited on 21 June 2017 to make it more accurate
> 
> \---------
> 
> Once again, feel free to ask about questions related to the fic. I will answer them/clarify them if possible! :)
> 
> Stuff happened and my life sucks.  
> My hobby of 15 years has been turned into something that gives me anxiety all because of a comment from an anon.  
> I am going to have to take a break from that networking site for a while. I can't stand all the stress and negativity anymore.


	13. Chapter 13: Unexpected Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visitor had come to the Akashi mansion. Said visitor doesn't seen to take Tetsuya really well...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: None...well, OOC maybe...

**Chapter Thirteen: Unexpected Visitor**

_Akashi Seijuurou has changed_ , was what he thought when he had a practice match with his former captain for the first time since said captain stopped turning up for the Miracle’s fortnightly meetings.

 

Perhaps something good had happened to him, such as meeting the love of his life. Whatever the case is, Akashi Seijuurou has changed, and for the better.

 

The old Akashi he knew was a fair and serious individual. He would give praises to the deserving and scold the wrongdoers. He was generally kind, but could be ruthless and merciless if the situation called for it.

 

After Aomine’s betrayal in middle school, followed by Murasakibara’s insubordination, Akashi had changed for the worse. Perhaps it was the stress that had got to him, or that he was afraid of being left behind by the rest – he would never know; he was not known to be the brightest of humans among the miracles. Regardless, Akashi became stricter and even more ruthless after that change. He would not forgive anyone who go against him and demanded absolute obedience. Mistakes were not tolerated, and he would not hesitate to make use of you or dispose of you when the time calls for it.

 

There was something about his aura and makes it hard to go against him. Even the bravest of seniors succumb to pressure and bowed before the presence of Akashi. From the Generations of Miracles to even the Uncrowned Generals of Rakuzan, all of them, full of pride and confidence, but none dared to disobey him.

 

It was almost as if he became a totally different person.

 

After his first loss against the rising star of a new school, Seirin, and their ace, Kagami Taiga, Akashi Seijuurou had mellowed down. He had reverted back to the person they knew, the fair and just captain. However, even so, the redhead was not known for laughing and joking like a normal person.

 

During one of their miracles meet up recently, he brought up the topic of Akashi when their former Shooting Guard of Teiko, Midorima, accidentally slipped some intel about the person who changed Akashi. While the green haired male refused to speak of anything related to the topic after that, he knew enough at it was a person who had changed Akashi, and that the person was currently staying with him.

 

They say that curiosity kills a cat – not that he really cares since he is often compared to as a dog – but he was determined to see the girl that had changed their fearsome former captain; the wonderful being that even Midorima, who is known to care a lot about his childhood friend (Akashi), had acknowledged; the miracle that brought out the smile and cheerfulness of the usually strict and tensed Akashi Seijuurou.

 

And so, here he is, all the way from Tokyo to the Akashi branch house in Kyoto. He had rejected one of his modelling offer just so he could come here to meet that miraculous being – though it was all to satisfy his curiosity, the girl had better be worthwhile.

 

__________

 

Akashi was reviewing his student council notes one more time before he left for school to discuss about the upcoming school events. Even though he was excused from school, he was still a student council president and the basketball captain – he had responsibilities.

 

Coincidentally, the Akashi gardener had decided to turn the dried land in the unused part of the mansion backyard into a garden, so Akashi had requested to have Tetsuya help him with the loosening of the soil to keep him occupied while he was away.

 

As Akashi was packing and arranging his documents together, he heard a commotion outside the mansion. The Akashi mansion is located it quite a secluded area on the upper hill. There weren’t many other household around, granting it a very peaceful and quiet neighbourhood. Noises or commotions of any kind were rare, so Akashi decided to investigate the cause himself. That, and coupled with the fact that Tetsuya is absolutely terrified of crowds – he would like to have the crowds dispersed as soon as possible.

 

As Akashi headed out to the main door, he saw his head butler and other household helpers looking extremely stressed and flustered.

 

“Is anything the matter?” Akashi asked as he walked towards them.

 

“Ah, Young Master, my most sincerest apology for the commotion. You see, your friend has come to visit you. Unfortunately, he has some unwanted guests and followers with him, so…”

 

Akashi raised a brow in response as he walked out of the door to see for himself. It couldn’t have been Midorima, since he knew that Shutoku had trainings on Saturdays for the Winter Cup that was still a few months away.

 

It could not have been his basketball teammates, classmates or schoolmates, as the Basketball club was having a break today. What’s more, Akashi, having hardly go school except during exams, would unlikely to have any business with his classmates. The only possible people in the ‘’schoolmates’ category would be the student council, and they should know that he would be coming to school in the afternoon.

 

Looking at the crowd before him, Akashi saw the large group of girls gathering around the gate. Most of them had a paper and a pen in their hands.

 

Though Akashi had yet to see the familiar face, he instantly knew who that friend is. He wondered why he had not thought of it before. No one other than the Generation of Miracles knew his address. And no one except Kise Ryouta would attract a large crowd of girls wherever he goes.

 

As if on cue, the blond squeezed through the crowd to wave excitedly at the redhead.

 

“Yahoo Akashicchi!

 

“–Ah sorry sorry, could you give me a minute-ssu?

 

“Akashicchi, could you let me in—

 

“–oh yes, I will give you my autograph soon-ssu, could you wait for a while?”

 

Akashi sighed. Such was a common occurrence back in Teiko that Akashi had to lock up the gym during practice just so they wouldn’t be disturbed. Now, the exact same scene is happening again, right in his doorstep. Did those girls followed him all the way from Kyoto City up the hill?!

 

“Juurou…”

 

Akashi turned his head to see a rather teary eyed, terrified Tetsuya trotting towards him with arms outreached. The moment he reached Akashi, the teal immediately latched himself onto his shirt, and the heir felt tell-tales of trembling.

 

If Akashi wasn’t annoyed at the crowd before, he certainly is now, especially since the crowd is scaring his Tetsuya.

 

“Kise,” Akashi said in a warning tone. “You can only come in after the crowd is dispersed. You are scaring everyone in this household.” He ordered before turning and guiding Tetsuya back into the mansion and closed the door.

 

He vaguely heard a whine of ‘How mean, Akashicchi!’ before the door closed and drown out majority of the loud noises.

 

__________

 

It took Kise more than thirty minutes with the promises of signing his autograph later before he finally dispersed the crowd.

 

“Leaving me all alone to deal that-ssu, how mean of you, Akashicchi…”

 

“You have but yourself to blame for bringing them to my doorsteps…” Akashi muttered before greeting at a much louder volume. “Fancy seeing you here, Kise. It is not every day you would come visit me. What brought this on?”

 

“Boo, Akashicchi! You mean I can’t visit whenever I want to?” Kise teased. At Akashi’s unimpressed face, however, he decided to admit his real reason for visiting.

 

“Akashicchi’s personality has changed recently-ssu. I overheard from Midorimacchi about a person who changed Akashicchi and decided to drop by to see that person-ssu. Where is she?”

 

Akashi raised a brow at the confession. “Changed? How so?”

 

“Well,” Kise started. “You are more mellow and cheerful now-ssu! Even Midorimacchi got a shock of his life when you told him a joke! So, where is she?”

 

Akashi resisted the urge to sigh. First it was his father, now it is Kise. Why is everyone saying that he has changed? He didn’t feel any different, he was just behaving like how everyone else would in the given situation.

 

“It’s alright, you can come over, Tetsuya. Kise is my friend – he won’t bite.” Akashi called out as he turned his head to the doorway.

 

Kise looked at the doorway expectantly. He had been dying to see the girl that changed his former captain, and he finally got the chance to see her now. However, he felt his rising anticipation dissolved into shock when a blue blur bolted from the doorway into Akashi’s side, huddling close to his former captain and peeking at him with lowered head.

 

“Uh… Akashicchi… who… is this?” Kise asked. Wasn’t Akashi going to show him his girlfriend?!

 

“This is Tetsuya. He is the person Midorima was most likely referring to.” Akashi replied, before turning to Tetsuya with a soft expression and an equally soft voice, “This is my friend, Kise Ryouta.”

 

“I-isn’t it supposed to be a girl?!” Kise accidentally let it slip.

 

At that raised voice, Tetsuya flinched and huddled even closer and tighter against Akashi, letting out a small whimper of fear that only Akashi could hear.

 

Akashi gave the boy a pat of encouragement on the head before turning to glare at the loud blond.

 

“Don’t shout in my house, Kise. And whoever said anything about a girl?”

 

“—B-but…” Kise eyed at the skinny teal beside his old captain.

 

_He looks like a wind can easily break and blow him away… Is this really the person who changed the ruthless Akashicchi?! He is so shabby!_

“Urm… -nice to meet you-ssu, Tetsuya-kun… How are you?” Kise greeted, raising a hand for a handshake, albeit reluctantly.

 

Tetsuya looked down at the hand offered to him before looking back up at the blond.

 

“…Kiss” Was all that the teal said.

 

“What?” Kise blinked.

 

“Kiss!” Tetsuya said again, this time louder and more confident. He pointed a finger at the blond. “Kiss!”

 

Kise looked at the finger with bewilderment.

 

One: The boy… Tetsuya-kun, called him Kiss even though it was mentioned that he name is Kise.

Two: The boy did not return his handshake. Isn’t it basic curtesy to return one and offered to you?

Three: The boy totally ignored his respectful question. A conversation is a lot like a ping pong game, you have to hit the ball back to the other party. Where is his return ball?!

 

This is seriously the person that caused Akashicchi to mellow down?!

 

__________

 

“Look look! Juurou!!!” Tetsuya exclaimed excitedly as he showed Kise the drawing he did of Akashi Seijuurou.

 

Kise gingerly picked up the paper that was proudly thrusted into his face using two fingers. “…Yes… that is…nice, Tetsuya-kun.”

 

Hearing that praise, the teal did a mini happy dance on the spot before showing the blond two of his other drawings. “Mi-do-ma and mini Mi-do-ma!!!”

 

“Mi-do-ma?” Kise frowned as he took the papers from the boy. He had no idea what a ‘Mi-do-ma’ was, but the green hair and the spectacles drawn over the face was a big giveaway. “—Pfft! This is Midorimacchi?! Ahahahahahahahahah!!! Wait till he sees this-ssu!” The blond model laughed as he snapped a photo of that drawing for future use.

 

Akashi watched the scene in front of him with a tender smile. In less than two hours after Kise had come, Akashi had to leave for Rakuzan. At first, he was a little troubled. He was afraid that Tetsuya would be unable to handle a stranger in the house without him around, and it would be rude to chase Kise out. However, Tetsuya proved to be adept at reading body language. He must have picked up from Akashi’s relaxed demeanour that Kise is trustworthy and not a threat, enabling him to trust the blond and open up to him.

 

Akashi felt pride welling up inside him. Tetsuya had come so far, from a boy who was afraid of his own shadow to one who could tolerate the presence of a stranger just by reading his(Akashi’s) body language. Tetsuya truly isn’t a lost cause. At all.

 

Tetsuya was excitedly blabbing about everything while Kise was awkwardly agreeing to whatever that was said.

 

“Uh… sure, Tetsuya-kun, that is nice-ssu…”

 

Though Kise obviously didn’t approve of Tetsuya and was merely agreeing to his words out of respect, the redhead knew that the blond would never intentionally hurt the boy.

 

Akashi tightened the black tie around his neck before approaching the yellow and blue.

 

“Kise,” He started. “I will be having a meeting in Rakuzan for approximately two hours. Please help me look after Tetsuya while I am away.”

 

“Well… If Akashicchi says so…”

 

“Tetsuya,” Akashi turned to address Tetsuya, his tone much softer. The teal turned to look at Akashi with big blue eyes, taking in the redhead in his school uniform.

 

“Juurou going out?” He asked innocently.

 

“That’s right. I have to go to school, but it is only for two hours. Will you behave and be nice to Kise while I am away?”

 

“Okay, Juurou! Tetsuya play with Kiss!” The teal squealed in reply.

 

Akashi smiled at the sweetly innocent boy. “If you need anything, look for the head butler, alright?” He ruffled the teal hair before he nodded his head at Kise and left, leaving the model with his mouth agape at the tenderness displayed by his ruthless former captain.

 

With a sigh, Kise typed a message to his buddy, telling him how lucky he was to have refused to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much plot going on in this chapter, sorry about that.
> 
> As with most multi-chaptered fics, I have reached the point where it is quite hard to continue. The uploads here would eventually catch up to the chapters I have in stock. I wonder how long I can keep up this weekly updates for...


	14. Chapter 14: Respect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Kise come to respect Tetsuya, probably in the strangest way possible... or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: OOC... and cliché

**Chapter Fourteen: Respect**

 

Honestly, why is he doing this again?

 

Kise sighed with disinterest as he stabbed a garden shovel into the soil. He is a model, for god’s sake. Why is he squatting under the hot sun in an old garden loosening soil?! What is he to do if he gets tan lines or freckles?

 

“Kiss, Kiss! Look! Castle!” Tetsuya proudly pointed to his ‘masterpiece’.

 

“Y-yeah, that’s… beautiful, Tetsuya-kun…” Kise half-heartedly praised. ‘Technically, it is merely a pile of soil… It hardly even took the form of a castle…’

 

Oh… that’s right… That childlike boy squatting in front of him is the very reason why he was here in the first place. He had thought that their captain, Akashicchi, had gotten a girlfriend and wanted to some and see how she looked like. Turns out, it was that childish teen who had turned their tyrant of a former captain into someone capable of kindness and compassion. However, Kise was still unable to wrap around the idea of that strange teen changing anyone, let alone Akashi Seijuurou.

 

“Ah, thank you so much for your help, Kise-san.” The Akashi gardener, who looked to be over fifty years old, leaned against a spade fork as he wiped sweat off his forehead. “At my age, it is rather difficult to be doing all this by myself, you see.”

 

The old gardener then looked towards the humming teal with a fond smile on his face. “Tetsuya-san is such a kind soul too, helping one as old as I. Young Master Seijuurou is also nice enough to keep me here despite being way pass retirement age.”

 

Ah… scratch that, he must be over the age of sixty-five[i] then… And did he just say that Tetsuya-kun was helping? More like playing with the soil and making a mess!

 

“Ah, I wasn’t being sarcastic when I said that Tetsuya-san is helping me.” The elderly elaborated. “There is only so much soil a spade fork can loosen. What Tetsuya-san is doing can loosen the part of the soil that the fork might miss. Though to him, he is merely playing with the soil, it is still a great help for me.”

 

Was his expression of doubt that obvious?

 

“Ah, no, I wasn’t thinking of that, sir.” Kise hastily replied, embarrassed to be caught.

 

“Whahahahah!” The old man merely laughed, his deep voice rumbling. “No need to defend yourself, Kise-san. I used to be a psychologist before I retired and become a gardener, I can see the subtle expressions that you make. You are probably thinking about how Tetsuya-san had earned a place here, didn’t you?”

 

“Uh…sorry sir…” Kise apologised sheepishly.

 

The old man waved it off. “It is true that Tetsuya-san’s behaviour may make him seem childish or even downright stupid when put crudely, but even so, Tetsuya-san has been nothing but a positive change to Young Master. You might not be able to see it now, but you will understand it eventually. Tetsuya-san might be easy to miss, but once you get to know him, you would also come to respect him.”

 

 _Respect Tetsuya-kun?_ Kise’s face was contorted in doubt. _Was I being too harsh by judging him so early into our meeting?_

 

Seeing Kise so deep in though, the gardener decided to leave it as that. He looked over to the teal who had brought about change to the Akashi mansion, seeing him trying to flatten the top of his castle, only to have it sink into a flat pile, a small noise of frustration escaping him.

 

“I will bring a pail for you so that you can build a castle easily, Tetsuya-san,” He said as he turned to head into the garden shed.

 

“Wheeeeeeeeeeee~ Castle!” Tetsuya exclaimed, throwing his arms with in air, shovel in hand, causing some soil to fly over to Kise.

 

The blond winced at the feeling of soil on his face. He sighed as he dusted the soil off his face. There goes his designer clothes and new shoes. Speaking of new shoes, he wondered about the state of his newly bought sneakers.

 

“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!” Kise let out a cry of pure fear and horror as he was a wiggling thing on his new shoes. “UWAAAAAH! That— —disgusting—!”

 

Hearing a sudden outburst, Tetsuya jumped out of his squatting position to see ‘Kiss’ flailing about. Upon closer observation showed that something was wiggling on ‘Kiss’’s shoes.

 

Curious about the never seen before wiggling creature, Tetsuya gingerly picked up the long thing with his thumb and index finger, bringing said long thing closer to his eyes for closer observation.

 

Noticing that the wiggling creature was gone from his shoes, Kise looked up from the soil to a pair of shoes in front of him. Trailing his eyes up from the mentioned shoes, Kise’s eyes landed on Tetsuya with the disgusting creature pinched between his fingers.

 

At that moment, Kise swore that holy lights were shining upon the teal, making him glow with an angelic aura.

 

“Te—Tetsuyacchi…”

 

“What’s the matter?” The gardener jogged over with concern written all over his face. “I heard some terrifying scream, is everything alright?”

 

Tetsuya wordlessly thrusted his hand into the gardener’s face. The old man tilted his body back a little to better focus his eyes on said hand.

 

“Weird moving long thing!” He elaborated.

 

“Ah, that’s an earthworm, Tetsuya-san.”

 

“Ur…worm?” The teal repeated.

 

“That’s right,” The old man smile, ruffling the teal hair lovingly. “Earthworms are good for the gardens, Tetsuya-san. They help loosen the soil too. Would you be so kind as to return it back into its home?”

 

Tetsuya stared at the ‘Urworm’ for a few more moments before gently placing the worm back onto the soil.

 

__________

 

“Juurou!” Tetsuya proclaimed as he showed Kise the third drawing he did of the redhead that day.

 

“Hey, Tetsuyacchi, how about drawing me instead?”

 

The teal perked out at the strange name. “Tetsuya!” He corrected, pointing to himself.

 

“Ah, I address people whom I respect with the ‘—cchi’ behind their names.”

 

The smaller of the teens thought hard about it. His master had always demanded respect from him, and to him, respect means listening to whatever master said without complains. He doesn’t want Kiss’s relationship with him to be like his master. He wants Kiss to be like how Akashi was to him and vice-versa.

 

Kise stared in bewilderment when the teal suddenly shook his head vehemently. He briefly wondered if the teal’s head would snap off from the fragile looking neck before his thoughts were taken over by an adorable pout on said head.

 

“Tetsuya!” The head exclaimed, slapping against the chest that it was connected to.

 

“You—You are so cute, Tetsuyacchi!!!!!!!” The blond squealed as he hugged Tetsuya tightly, much to Tetsuya’s dismay.

 

Strong winds and rain clouds gathered a few minutes after the earthworm incident. Fearing that it would rain, the old man had sent Kise and Tetsuya back into the mansion. He had smiled as he noticed the way the model had looked at the teal now. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but he was glad that Kise is finally accepting Tetsuya.

 

Currently, both boys were in Akashi’s bedroom drawing random pictures.

 

Though, what seemed to be a peaceful drawing session was suddenly turned upside down when a tremor hits Kyoto. While Kyoto has a rather low earthquake risk, it is not impossible for earthquakes or tremors to hit the old capital[ii]. Nevertheless, the tremor still come as a shock to the entire Akashi household.

 

Kise stood up from his seat, ready to assist the household in any way he could, when he noticed that Tetsuya was hugging at himself, eerily silent and trembling. Hard.

 

“Tetsuyacchi?” Kise asked as he touched the teal’s shoulder to get his attention.

 

All hell seemed to break loose at that touch, for Tetsuya started screaming and crying and coughing from the effort, and his response had frightened Kise more than the tremors had.

 

At the sound of Tetsuya’s cries, the head butler came rushing in. He cradled the terrified teal into his arms, settling onto the Young master’s bed, trying his damnest[iii] to calm him down.

 

“Tetsuya-san! Please don’t be afraid, everything would be fine!”

 

____________

 

_There was a particularly large earthquake that had hit the mansion years back. Tetsuya was too young to understand what was happening, except that the floor was shaking violently and he found himself becoming nauseous. Frightened, the little boy crouched onto the ground, holding his head and crying. Master’s house was falling apart. Vases and plates fell off from its original spot, smashing against the floor as the ceiling caved in above him._

_“Hey!”_

_He looked up to see one of the fellow slaves like him waving frantically at him._

_“Come on! Hurry up and get out of here!”_

_However, the little slave was rooted to the spot. His legs were shaking from fear, and he couldn’t move even if he wanted to._

_He heard a loud crack above him and the next thing he knew, he felt pressure against him. Opening the eyes that he had, at some point, closed, Tetsuya saw the slave that had spoken to him earlier was currently lying unmoving at the spot he was occupying before._

_Blood flowed down her head and the slave tried to heave herself up. Deciding that she probably would not survive, she reached out to palm at the little boy’s face._

_“Run, run out of this place to safety. Go on, I will come right after you.”_

_Everything was but a haze after that. The next thing he remembered, he was outside the mansion, watching in horror and fear as the mansion exploded from the broken cooking gas pipe and the entire mansion were engulfed in flames._

_The remaining slaves who had escaped held onto him, all of them staring solemnly at the burning mansion, mourning for the loss of their fellow comrades._

_Knowing nothing about the situation, the little boy waited and waited but she never appeared. Even after master came home from his business trip and fumed at the destruction of his home, the little boy still kept waiting._

_He didn't know why, but even months after the earthquake, when the mansion was rebuilt and refurnished, he had never seen the lady that had saved him._

____________

“JUUROU!!! JUUROU!!!” The teal cried and struggled against the strong hold of the head butler.

Tetsuya was terrified. The last time a tremor had happened, he had never seen one of his important person again. What if the same thing happened to Juurou too?!

 

Kise looked at the scene with fear. He didn’t know why Tetsuyacchi suddenly started crying so badly. Had he had some bad traumatic experiences from earthquakes? Feeling useless just standing there, Kise carefully approached the head butler.

 

“Anything I can do to help?”

 

The butler looked at him with stressed filled face before replying. “Kise-san, thank you for offering. Could you contact Young Master and check for his safety? I would very much love to confirm it myself, but as you can see, I had my hands tied…”

 

Kise nodded in understanding as he fished his phone out from his pocket to dial for his former captain.

 

__________

 

“Kise?” Akashi responded when he answered his phone.

 

Immediately after the tremors started, Rakuzan announcement system immediately asked for the students to head towards the Rakuzan main building, as said building was built to withstand earthquakes. Since the student council room was located in the main building, Akashi only merely need to walk out of his office. Most of the students in Rakuzan received phone calls from home asking for their wellbeing, and Akashi had expected the similar from his head butler. Hence, he was a little surprised to receive a call from Kise instead.

 

“Akashicchi! The butler wishes to check if you are alright. He wanted to call you himself, but his hands are tight.” Kise blabbed at high speed.

 

“Calm down, Kise, I am fine. The Rakuzan main building is made to withstand earthquake. It is the safest of all place to be in. Could you give the phone to my butler?”

 

“Okay.”

 

There was a short moment of pause as the phone was handled to the butler.

 

“Young master Seijuurou, are you alright over at Rakuzan?” His butler’s panicked voice sounded over the receiver.

 

“I am fine. However, due to the tremors, no students are allowed to leave the school building, so I might be back slightly later.”

 

“Understood, young master. I am glad to hear –ugh –that you are fine.”

 

Akashi frowned when he heard a muffled ‘Juurou! Juurou!’ over the phone.

 

“It sounded really chaotic over at your side, is anything the matter?” He asked.

 

“Ah, shortly after the tremors ended, Tetsuya-san wouldn’t stop crying for you, Young Master. I am trying my absolute best to calm him right now.” The butler’s strained voice replied.

 

Akashi gave a short hum. “Could you give the phone to Tetsuya?”

 

Seeing as the flailing teal is unable to hold on to the phone himself, the butler cradled it against his ear while his other arm held the boy in place.

 

“Tetsuya,” Akashi’s cool voice sounded through the receiver.

 

Hearing Akashi’s voice, Tetsuya immediately quieten down. The boy blinked hard, looking around for his Juurou.

 

“Juurou?” He asked, confused when he can’t locate his most dear.

 

“Tetsuya,” Akashi repeated.

 

Noticing that the sound was coming from the rectangular thing held against his ear, Tetsuya took it in both hands, cradling it like a precious gem.

 

“Juurou…?” He cautiously spoke to the rectangular thing in his palm.

 

Seeing as Tetsuyacchi won’t be bringing it to his ear, Kise turned his phone to loud speaker so that the teal could heard Akashi.

 

“Akashicchi,” He informed, “I am putting the phone on loud speaker so that Tetsuyacchi can hear you.”

 

“Ah, thank you, Kise.” ‘ _Tetsuyacchi’? What had happened while he was away?_

Shaking unrelated thoughts out of his mind, Akashi instead focused on the teal boy.

 

“Tetsuya, do not be afraid. It is just a small tremor. You will be fine; I will be fine; everyone would be fine.”

 

Hearing Juurou’s voice, Tetsuya felt all the fear and tension melt away from him. He slumped against the head butler holding him. “Juurou… okay?”

 

Akashi smiled at that innocent yet fearful tone. “Yeah, I am okay.”

 

“Juurou… no hurt?”

 

“Nope. Not at all.” Hearing a small sigh of relief from the teal, Akashi continued, “That’s why, Tetsuya, stay calm and do not be afraid, alright? I will be home soon.” He gently cooed.

 

The Akashi heir ignored the squealing noises made by his vice president and her clique. Hearing a soft affirmation from the teal, Akashi asked, “Could you pass the phone over to Kise?”

 

“Phone?” The boy asked, and Akashi swore he could hear the teal tilt his head with that question.

 

The student council president gave a small chuckle. “The thing you are holding in your hands, Tetsuya. That’s a phone. Could you pass it to Kise?”

 

“Okay.” Came the innocent reply.

 

“Hello, Akashicchi?” Came the blond’s clear voice.

 

Akashi deduced that the phone had been switched back to normal speaker[iv]

 

“Kise…”

 

__________

 

Being ‘back slightly later’ turned out to be three hours later, much to Akashi’s dismay and annoyance. By the time he reached home, Tetsuya had fallen asleep against the head butler’s chest and Kise was sitting beside them, scrolling through his phone.

 

“Seemed like everything has calmed down now,” Akashi smiled as he headed into his room.

 

“Akashicchi!” Kise exclaimed.

 

“Welcome back, Young master Seijuurou. My apologies for not greeting you at the door.” The head butler apologised, before turning his attention to the teal snoring against his chest. “Tetsuya-san, didn’t you say you wanted to see young master Seijuurou once he is back?” He smiled, gently shaking the slumbering teal.

 

“Mhm…?” Came the sleepy response as the teal rubbed his eyes.

 

“Young master Seijuurou is back, Tetsuya-san.” The butler repeated.

 

Hearing the name of his favourite redhead, Tetsuya scanned for his Juurou, eyes immediately falling onto the heir that was just putting his bag down,

 

“Juurou~” The teal teen cheered, scrambling out of the butler’s hold and into Akashi’s arm. “Juurou is back!” He sung, burying his head into the curve of Akashi’s neck, his legs wrapping around Akashi like a koala hugging a tree.

 

Akashi let out a soft laughter as he hugged the teal, his arm supporting the smaller teen by the base of his butt to prevent him from falling. “I am back, Tetsuya.”

 

The sight of Akashi and Tetsuya hugging was so sweet and adorable in Kise’s eyes. Deciding to leave the red and blue to their reunion, the blond softly said “Akashicchi, I will be going off now, I will text you, okay?”

 

Akashi nodded his head, giving Kise a small smile of gratitude as the head butler led Kise out. Akashi then walked towards his bed, placing the smaller boy down to cuddle at a more comfortable position.

 

During the time after Tetsuya had fallen asleep, Kise had asked the head butler questions about the boy, mostly about where he came from.

 

The head butler had admitted that he wasn’t sure how much information about Tetsuya he was allowed to give. However, he did give Kise a vague description of the boy’s past and had told Kise to find out the rest from the Young master if he wanted to know more (which he did and he would).

 

From what Kise could gather from the head butler, Tetsuya had suffered a lot before arriving at the Akashi mansion. Though little, that teeny bit of information is enough to make Kise respect Tetsuya even more than he did before.

 

Kise now realised that it wasn’t that Tetsuya had any amazing qualities that had changed Akashi. The boy had been deprived of so many basic things that even the most common of objects can bring out curiosity and excitement in the otherwise emotionless face.

 

It was the desire to show Tetsuya about the world; the desire to make him love his life; the desire to bring smile to his face – something about Tetsuya brings out the maternal instinct in people – it was _that_ that had changed Akashi.

 

Shortly after he reached the city area, Kise was once again surrounded by his fans.

 

_Oh right… He had forgotten…_

 

* * *

 

 

[i]  I was researching on retirement age in Japan, there were a lot of changes to the age over time, so I am not sure which one is the current retirement age, but I think 65 is it.

 

[ii] I did not find enough evidence to prove of this, so please take it with just a pinch of salt.

 

[iii] This word doesn’t exist, by the way.

 

[iv] What is the opposite of loudspeaker on phone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Kise.
> 
> \-----
> 
> I apologise for the slightly delayed update.  
> I have had a struggle with my depression and anxiety...  
> Couldn't write any chapters this entire week too...


	15. Chapter 15: Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tetsuya wants a friend of his own

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Fluff, so much fluff you might become sick of it

**Chapter Fifteen: Friend**

“Bur…” The teal read.

 

“It’s bird, Tetsuya.” Akashi laughed, his eyes fixed on the documents in his hand.

 

Tetsuya huffed. “Bird.” He repeated, throwing a light glare at the smirking redhead. “Ant!” He said, pointing to the six-legged creature printed on the book.

 

After Kise left the Akashi branch house, Akashi had asked Tetsuya what he had done while he was away. The teal began excitedly explaining about building castles and discovering a wiggling thing called ‘Urworm’.

 

Realising that there were still a lot of vocabularies that the smaller boy had not heard of, the redhead had requested for the maids to find the picture books he had read as a baby to be given to the teal.

 

The picture books were simple. It had a huge image of an item on the page with the name of the item at the bottom. It was a perfect book for visual learners like Tetsuya.

 

Ever since receiving those books, it had never left his hands until he fully memorised the content. Currently, the boy is reading about animal names.

 

“Zeeeeeeee—ba!”

 

Akashi smiled that the adorably childish pronunciation. “Zebra,” he corrected.

 

“Zeeeeeeebra,” was then repeated.

 

“…Pee…?” The smaller boy mumbled, sounding a little unsure.

 

Hearing an unfamiliar animal name, Akashi lifted his eyes from the documents he was reading. “What animal is that, Tetsuya?” He asked, leaning over to look at the page the boy was at.

 

Seeing Juurou trying to peek at his book, Tetsuya hide the book against his chest and twisted his torso away from the redhead. “Juurou no look!”

 

The heir sighed and conceded, leaning back against his own chair. “But I have never heard of an animal called pee though. What is it?”

 

The smaller boy stared at Akashi before bringing a finger up his nose, “Pee!” The boy explained. “Oink oink!”

 

Akashi’s eyes shined in recognition after that. “Ah, it’s called a pig, Tetsuya.” He corrected.

 

“Pee…g.” The teal mumbled.

 

There was silence after that. Looking up, Akashi noticed that the teal were flipping through the hard pages, looking at the pictures. Smiling to himself, he turned his attention back to his documents, amending any errors he saw.

 

A sudden squeal from the other boy was totally unexpected, and it almost had Akashi jumping, creating an ugly mark on his documents.

 

“What’s wrong, Tetsuya?” Akashi asked worriedly when he composed himself.

 

“Rat!” Tetsuya exclaimed, thrusting the book into his face as usual. “Juurou! Rat!”

 

Akashi took in the brownish-grey creature with a long tail of the similar colour. Indeed, that is a rat, or more specifically, _Mus musculus,_ the scientific name to what is commonly known as the house mouse, though telling him that would only confuse the teal. But why is Tetsuya so fixated on a rodent?

 

“Rat! Rat! Juurou! Rat!” The teal sang, waving his hands in the air and bouncing about on the couch he was sitting on.

 

“Indeed,” Akashi started carefully. “It is a rat, Tetsuya.” He smiled. “Why are you so interested in it?”

 

“Rat is Tetsuya’s friend!” the other replied.

 

“It’s ‘Rat is my friend’, Tetsuya.’” The redhead corrected. How strange, there is no way for Tetsuya to come into contact with any rodents here in the Akashi mansion. Pest are properly controlled and usually only found in the trash and recyclable areas of the household, which is located far away from the mansion. There is no way for Tetsuya to have encountered any.

 

Noticing that the teal had settled back down and gone quiet, Akashi started questioning, “What happened to the rat now, Tetsuya?”

 

“Rat no more.” Came the simple answer, his palms out and wrist twisting from side to side to show a ‘nothing’ gesture. “Rat stop moving and got very smelly.” He made a face.

 

Akashi thought very hard about what Tetsuya had said, and his mind flashed back to when he had met the boy for the first time. There was a rat in the basement that was long since dead, its body already halfway decomposed – it was releasing a disgusting stench. The area was really dark, so he couldn’t see it properly, but he was sure it resembled a sewer rat. And sewer rats, Akashi shuddered, carries ridiculous amount of germs.

 

_Tetsuya considered them as friends?!_

__________

 

Ever since seeing the rat – house mouse actually – in the picture book, Tetsuya had been flipping through all the picture books given to him without properly reading through the words like how he used to.

 

The more books he had flipped through, the more frustrated he had become. Eventually, Tetsuya gave up on the books but instead, asked the butlers for a paper and started drawing.

 

Under normal circumstances, Akashi would have been proud that Tetsuya had gained the confidence to ask someone for something. However, at this point, Akashi was more worried about the other’s sudden change in behaviour to celebrate the boy’s courageous act. Moreover, he was too busy revising for his upcoming examination to be able to properly observe Tetsuya’s strange behaviour.

 

__________

 

“Juurou! Juurou!” Tetsuya came bouncing into Akashi’s study room the two days later.

 

Akashi paused from his revision to look up and smile at the other. “Hey, Tetsuya.” He greeted, glad that the boy was back to his cheerful self.

 

The teal placed a piece of paper over his revision paper, causing the redhead to instinctively look down at it:

 

 

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/149953062@N06/35840491691/in/datetaken/)

 

 

_What is this?_

“Tetsuya’s other friend!” He proudly claimed, as if reading Akashi’s mind. “…My other friend!” He corrected shortly after.

 

Akashi’s eyes widened at his choice of word. The teal had used to word ‘other’. The friend he had claimed before was a rat, which he had ‘befriended’ during his time in the basement. Could that mean…?

 

The heir lifted some of his papers to retrieve his phone from beneath the stacks, quickly unlocking his phone before searching for images.

 

“Is this your friend, Tetsuya?” Akashi asked, turning his phone around to show the other an image.

 

Tetsuya responded with a squeal of pure glee. “Friend, friend!” He bounced about, pointing even more vigorously at the paper he had drawn.

 

Akashi smiled sadly. _He doesn’t have a human friend…_ However, with that, Akashi understood the other’s strange behaviour the past few days: He had wanted to find the name of his ‘friend’ through the book. He must have thought that the picture books would show a cockroach since it showed his ‘friend’, the rat.

“Tetsuya,” He started. “that is a cockroach. It is an insect, that’s why you can’t find it in the books.”

 

“Cockroach…” Tetsuya mumbled. “Thank you Juurou!” He shouted before running out of the room.

 

__________

 

“Young master,” Akashi’s butler greeted, placing the tip of the tray against a small part of the study desk. “please have a break from studying.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Akashi placed his pen down and cleared the immediate area of his table, enabling the butler to put the try directly in front of him.

 

“Thank you,” He politely responded. “Where is Tetsuya? I haven’t seen him since yesterday,” The redhead asked, slipping from the tofu soup in front of him.

 

“Tetsuya-san is currently outside, Young master. He was with the gardener a while ago.”

 

“Oh? Well, I suppose it is good news that he is more active nowadays. Shows that his stamina is improving and he is more comfortable here now.” Akashi mused, taking a bite at his tofu, closing his eyes to savour the taste.

 

“Juurou~” Tetsuya’s voice came from a distance.

 

“Ah, speak of the devil,” the butler commented.

 

“Juurou!!!” Tetsuya laughed, pouncing onto Akashi in a tight hug.

 

“Hello, Tetsuya.” Akashi greeted, feeling all his stress being lifted at the sight of the teal. “What have you been up to?”

 

“Tetsuya’s got a friend!” The teal proudly exclaimed, placing something onto Akashi’s palm.

 

Akashi had expected something small, like an origami animal or a plant – Tetsuya is fond of personifying such objects – so it was a surprise when he felt something prickly and strange in his palm. His eyes focused on the object that was placed on it when Tetsuya’s hand moved away, and felt his eyes widened in shock.

 

The prickly sensation was caused by the rather sharp and narrow tip of the cockroach’s legs. Its legs were twitching, creating an extremely strange feeling in his palm.

 

Out of pure instinct and disgust, Akashi stood up abruptly and threw the thing in his palm away, his sudden action causing the chair he was sitting on to topple over. The sound of toppled chair clanking against the wooden floor had startled Tetsuya, and Akashi immediately grasped at the other’s thin wrist, dragging a confused Tetsuya far, far away from that nasty creature.

 

“My lord!” Akashi’s head butler exclaimed when he finally processed what had happened, immediately shouting for someone to bring in insecticides and nets and cleaning agents and sanitizers.

 

In less than a minute, Akashi’s study room became swarmed with maids and household cleaners, heavily armed with cloths, brooms, mops, cleaning liquids and a lot other items. The chaotic scene had frightened Tetsuya terribly, so Akashi dragged him out of the room and away from the chaos till it was out of sight.

 

“Juurou?” Tetsuya asked, confused and afraid and with tears in his eyes. He clutched onto Akashi’s shirt, fingertips cold and trembling.

 

He failed to understand. Why is everyone so jumpy and frightened over his newly made friend? He didn’t think it would cause that much of a trouble… It’s harmless… isn’t it?

 

“Don’t worry, Tetsuya. Everything is fine. I am sorry for scaring you.” Akashi apologized with a slight smile. He cradled the teal head towards his body, stroking the soft hair to soothe the frightened boy.

 

“But Tetsuya,” Akashi lightly chided. “don’t ever bring a cockroach into the house again, okay?”

 

“But… Tetsuya wants a friend…” The boy pouted.

 

“A cockroach is not a friend, Tetsuya.” The redhead slowly explained. “Cockroaches bring germs. They can make our food bad, cause us to be sick and have a stomach ache. You don’t want everyone in the household to get sick, do you, Tetsuya?”

 

“…No…” The smaller boy sobbed, his soul filled with guilt upon learning that his actions could have caused pain for everyone. “Tetsuya sorry!!! Tetsuya only wanted friend!”

 

Akashi gently led the boy even further into the room, sitting on a sofa and settling the crying teal over him, cuddling him close. He was always weak to the other’s tears.

 

“Shh, don’t cry, Tetsuya. I can’t stand seeing your tears.” Akashi murmured. “I am not angry, and I know you are sorry; so, don’t cry anymore, okay?” He cooed, wiping the teal’s tears away.

 

“Mhmm…” The smaller boy acknowledged, keeping his head low and avoiding eye contact.

 

Akashi tilted his head and gave a sad smile. Well, of course he would be sad; Tetsuya had wanted a friend so badly that he went out of the house to search for one, only to have it be killed and causing trouble to everyone in the household.

 

“Hey Tetsuya, I will find you a friend, so smile for me?” He tried to cheer the boy up.

 

Hearing that, Tetsuya snapped his head up to look like Akashi with earnest, hopeful eyes, “Really Juurou? Tetsuya will get a friend?”

 

The redhead smiled at the teal. “Have I ever lied to you?” He questioned, ruffling the soft hair.

 

“Thank you Juurou!” Tetsuya exclaimed in pure happiness, hugging Akashi tightly around the neck.

 

The Akashi heir gave a soft chuckled and continue rubbing at the other’s back. The teal seemed to be comfortable and doesn’t appear to be moving away anytime soon, and Akashi simply allowed him to stay like that; two boys cuddling on the sofa. When the teal eventually fell asleep against the redhead after all the excitement, Akashi got his phone out of his pockets to send an email.

 

__________

 

Tetsuya stared curiously through the window as a van stopped by the Akashi mansion and a delivery man got out of it. The man went to the back of the van where he opened the door and his upper half disappeared into the door. Moments later, the man came out carrying several parcels.

 

As usual, Tetsuya ran out of the room to look for the butler.

 

“Yamato!” Tetsuya tried getting the butler’s attention by pulling at his neat, black butler coat.

 

“What is it, Tetsuya-san?” The butler asked, smiling at the teal.

 

“Yamato!” Tetsuya repeated.

 

The butler frowned a little in confusion. Based on all his knowledge about the Akashi family, there was no one – visitors, friends or clients – by the name of Yamato.

 

“Who is ‘Yamato’, Tetsuya-san.” He asked patiently.

 

Before Tetsuya could reply, the doorbell to the Akashi main door rang, signalling an arrival of a visitor.

 

Tetsuya squealed in excitement, pulling the butler by the hand towards the main door. “Yamato! Yamato!” He chanted as his steps held light bounces in them.

 

The butler chuckled, patting the boy on the head to settle him down before opening to greet the ‘Yamato’ at the door.

 

“Head butler of the Akashi Kyoto Mansion, Kazehiko Kazue. How may I be of service?” He asked. When he took in the appearance of the visitor, the butler’s eyes widened at the man before him. He finally understood why Tetsuya had been chanting the name ‘Yamato’.

 

The delivery man was associated with the Yamato Transport[i] Company, a popular courier company in Japan. Tetsuya had probably saw the company name printed on the delivery van, which was how he had known of the name ‘Yamato’. However, based on his knowledge, no deliveries were expected, so he was slightly surprised to see the delivery man.

 

The delivery man cleared his throat. It was unnerving enough to be delivering to such a high-classed place. Having a butler greet him on top of that, he was sure that the owner of the mansion could easily have him fired if he had delivered poor services here.

 

“Ah… de-delivery from Akashi Masaomi-san.” The nervous male stuttered. “Th-these are for Akashi Seijuurou-san,” He signalled on a huge baggage by his feet, and two more parcels held in his arms.

 

“If you don’t mind,” The butler started. “may I receive these on behalf of our Young Master?” The butler sighed in mild amusement. It is always interesting to see the reactions of the visitors to the Akashi mansion. All of them look like they would pee on themselves on the spot.

 

After the butler had received the parcels from him, the man nervously took a clipboard that was held between his armpits.

 

“P-Please sign here.” He gulped, handling a pen to the butler.

 

After he had signed and handled the clipboard back to the man, the delivery man checked it through quickly before bowing and leaving quickly.

 

Tetsuya immediately bend down to take one of the parcels into his arms. “Tetsuya help!” He proclaimed, carrying it against his body and smiling sweetly at the butler. “Ohhh! Squishy!” He said, squeezing at the object in his arm.

 

The butler chuckled at the boy’s antics, taking a quick glance at the parcel to ensure that there is no ‘fragile’ sign written on it. “Thank you very much for your help, Tetsuya-san,” He thanked, picking up the remaining parcels and leading the way into Akashi’s room.

 

“Young Master, there are parcels for you,” He called, knocking at Akashi’s door before twisting the door knob and entering.

 

“Juurou! Look! Tetsuya helped!” Tetsuya proudly claimed, rushing into room. He placed the parcels carelessly onto the floor (the butler sighed in relief as the parcel Tetsuya was holding wasn’t fragile) and ran into Akashi’s arms.

 

Akashi laughed as he held onto Tetsuya, stroking the teal air and praising the boy for helping.

 

“Who is it from?” He asked, turning his attention back to the butler.

 

“Master Akashi, apparently.”

 

The heir raised a brow at that. His father had not informed him of any parcels being sent to him.

 

“I will put it by the coffee table, Young master,” The butler informed, placing the parcel he was holding down before backtracking to pick up the parcel that Tetsuya had left(thrown) onto the floor.

 

“Thank you,” Akashi thanked. “Tetsuya, how about helping me in opening the parcels?” He asked, smiling at the teal whose eyes had lit up at that.

 

__________

 

“Juurou, Juurou! Dog!” Tetsuya said, showing the huge dog plush to Akashi. The parcel that Tetsuya had chosen to open was the same one that he was carrying before. The insides had revealed to be a husky plush which was about the size of Tetsuya’s torso.

 

Akashi laughed at the sight of Tetsuya burying his face into the soft plush as he placed the letter had come with the parcels aside. “That plush is for you, apparently.” He said. “Treat it nicely, okay? He is going be your friend.”

 

The redhead swore that Tetsuya’s blue eyes sparkled at that. “Thank you, Juuuuurouuuuuu!” He pounced at Akashi, remembering the promise Akashi had made with him about finding friends.

 

Tetsuya abruptly removed himself from Akashi’s embrace, picking up his new friend before taking Akashi’s arm and putting them around his shoulders again, cuddling back into Akashi with the plush in his arms.

 

Akashi chuckled in amusement. _The boy is really too cute!_

The head butler watched the scene with a smile. The slight of his Young master cuddling the teal boy with said boy hugging both the redhead and his newly acquired plush toy was too much of a sweet and adorable sight for one to keep a straight face at.

 

He immediately snapped out of his thoughts and stood at attention when Akashi looked at him.

 

“Those are for you and the rest of the household members,” Akashi said, his head jerking to signal at the largest parcel resting by the table leg. “There is a separate note in it that states which gift would be given to whom. Apparently, Father had some extra time after an overseas meeting ended early. He had toured around the area to get gifts for all of us.” Akashi explained.

 

The head butler bowed deeply, his right palm positioned over his heart as a show of gratitude. “Thank you very much, Young master. Shall I called for all the household members to gather later in the evening so that the gifts could be given out?” He asked.

 

“Yes, that would be great. I would like to be there to explain everything, so would you let me know when it’s time?” The heir asked.

 

“But of course, Young Master.” The butler bowed. “Then, if you would excuse me.” He said before leaving the room.

 

Akashi then gave the teal his full attention. “You like the gift that father gave you, Tetsuya?”

 

“Mhmm!” Tetsuya replied cheerfully, pulling away from the redhead. “Juurou! Give it name!” The teal stared at the redhead eagerly.

 

Akashi hummed in thought. For some reason, his father had taken a liking to the teal after their first unofficial meeting when Tetsuya was having his psychogenic fever. After his father had left, he had requested (ordered) for Akashi to keep him updated about Tetsuya’s progress, having taken an interest in the boy’s growth and wellbeing.

 

Akashi had informed his father about Tetsuya’s recent attempts at befriending a cockroach, resulting in an uproar among the Akashi household that had frightened the teal.

 

Apparently, his father’s response to that was to buy a dog plush for Tetsuya, claiming that the plush had reminded him to the boy.

 

“How about Nigou?” Akashi answered at last.

 

Tetsuya perked up at that name. If he was not mistaken, the word ‘nigou’ had come up when Akashi taught him how to count.

 

“Nigou?” Tetsuya repeated in an utterly confused tone, completing it with a head tilt.

 

Akashi smiled at the usual confused head-tile from the boy. “That’s right. Nigou: that’s his name.”

 

Tetsuya frowned. “Juurou… who number one?” He had asked so seriously that Akashi couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“That would be you, Tetsuya. And he would be Tetsuya Nigou” He responded gesturing his chin at the soft toy and lightly tabbing at the teal’s nose with his index finger. The smaller boy followed his finger to the tip of his nose, his eyes meeting at the centre comically.

 

There were a few seconds of peaceful silence before the boy understood what the redhead had meant and erupted into complains and protests.

 

“No!!! Tetsuya is Tetsuya!” He exclaimed, slapping a hand at his chest to illustrate his point.

 

He glared seriously at his Juurou, but the Juurou merely smirked back at him. “Well,” The redhead said. “you asked for a name, and I gave it. Whether you use it or not is up to you, Te-tsu-ya.” He purposefully dragged Tetsuya’s name, knowing it would enrage the adorable boy.

 

The smaller boy made a noise of pure frustration and unhappiness, causing Akashi to erupt into laughers.

 

In the end, Tetsuya still decided to call his new friend Nigou, though he refused to acknowledge the ‘Tetsuya’ in front of its name.

 

* * *

 

 

[i]  Yamato transport really exists in real life. They have smaller companies overseas too. Their services are great.

And for the record, I never had rats in my apartment…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have soft toys that I considered as friends or companions. They are often a better companion than human friends.


	16. Chapter 16: Cockroach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How the hell does he resemble a cockroach?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke

**Chapter Sixteen: Cockroach**

 

Ever since Tetsuya got his husky plush friend two days ago, it has never left his hands. Tetsuya would carry it with him wherever he went, claiming that he wanted to show his new friend the world.

 

Akashi had decided to let him be, since the soft toy gave Tetsuya the feeling of safety and comfort. He looked up from his assessment books, seeing Tetsuya burying his face into Nigou as he flipped through the picture books. A happy and content Tetsuya makes a happy and content Akashi, which in turn makes a peaceful and tranquil Akashi household. Akashi couldn’t help but to muse about the change the teal had brought to the Akashi branch house. His unknowing influence appeared to affect even his father, for the stern man seemed to have mellowed down a little just after a few minutes of one-sided interaction with the boy.

 

Looking at Tetsuya seemed to have recharged his stamina, and Akashi once again dived back into his assessment books.

 

Since the cockroach incident a few days ago, Tetsuya has, by association, start to become wary of all other insects. Seeing an ant crawling on the floor would send the boy flying to the other room and hiding there until a maid assured him that it had been removed and cleaned.

 

“Don’t want Juurou to feel bad.” Was what he said when Akashi and his butler confronted him about his sudden wariness and fear for insects.

 

It had happened so gradually that Akashi had nearly missed it, but at that moment, Akashi had realised that Tetsuya’s speech had improved dramatically since he entered the Akashi mansion.

 

It was amazing how a little over six months of exposure to speech and language can improve one’s spoken language so dramatically. Tetsuya had started off foreign to a lot of words and unable to form proper sentences. He could easily join two words up to the maximum of three words to make his point across, but now he could build almost a full sentence.

Akashi is more focused on getting Tetsuya to become confident at speaking and hence he focused more on articulation and words instead of grammar and sentence structure. The latter can be changed easily, but confidence is something that builds over time. He doesn’t want Tetsuya to be discouraged about speaking due to the grammatical errors that he had made.

 

Back to the topic of insects though, the Akashi household takes the cleanliness of the mansion very seriously, so any sightings of insects would result in the instant removal of said creature, cleaning and sanitising of the areas it had come into contact with as well as a hunt for the reason behind its appearance and, if applicable, the place where it came from.

 

Though approved by both the Akashi males, such meticulous way of the removal of pest was what led to the confusion and chaos that is happening right now.

 

__________

 

 

He resisted the urge to sigh for the umpteenth time. Several weeks ago, an annoying blond puppy had texted him to ask if he had wanted to go to visit ‘Akashicchi’s girlfriend’. He had wanted to sleep in so he had (to put very, very nicely) told the blond to go alone.

 

He was awakened from his very late nap a few hours later with a message from the same blond about how lucky he was that he hadn’t had come. According to the blond, Akashi’s ‘girlfriend’ wasn’t as exciting as he had thought out to be. The person who had changed their captain had turn out to be a shabby looking male with an extremely childish demeanour. The blond had complained to him about how his going there was precious time wasted. His only response to the blond’s message was that he had no one but himself to blame for, before shutting off his phone and turning over to return to dreamland.

 

He was woken up again later, when he felt a small tremor in Tokyo. Shortly after, he had a pink haired childhood friend barging into his room telling him that a prefecture near Kyoto had experienced an earthquake. She had responded to his uninterested response with a slap to his head saying that ‘Ki-chan is in Kyoto, isn’t he? And Akashi-kun too! Aren’t you worried about them?’

 

Deciding that he won’t be getting any more rest with his childhood friend by the name of Momoi Satsuki in his room, he got up, dressed into some sports attire to go out for some self-basketball practice. Surely the Touou basketball manager would have no complains about him wanting to ‘improve his skills’… or so he says with the quotation marks in the air, but both Momoi and the him deep inside knew that he is practicing in order to surpass and crush Kagami Taiga during their next face off, whenever that may be.

 

It wasn’t until late in the evening when he was absentmindedly dribbling the ball back home that he received another text message from the copydog called Kise Ryouta. The former Teiko basketball ace had an eye and eyebrow raised at the contents of the message.

 

_‘Tetsuyacchi is the best-ssu! It’s such a shame that Aominecchi didn’t come. He is so cute and so awesome and so strong and courageous-ssu!!! You should come with me next time! (_ _ᗒᗨᗕ_ _)’_

 

Leave it to the blond to change his mind so quickly – complaining about something for an instance and then praising the same thing the next instance.

 

Apparently, the annoying being was serious about trying to bring him along during his next visit to ‘Tetsuyacchi.’

 

__________

 

In his own defence, he had his reasons for reluctantly agreeing to the blond’s pestering. Keyword: reluctantly.

 

Granted, the blond’s annoying presence and persistence contributed to it. But the other reason was the new Touou basketball team that had formed after Imayoshi and Susa had graduated from High school and left for University. Wakamatsu Kousuke was appointed the new captain shortly after their loss against the rising start Seirin in the early stages of WinterCup last year, and gods, even with Aomine’s change in attitude towards training, the two of them simply can’t get along.

 

Captain Wakamatsu was simply too overbearing for Aomine to handle, constantly finding fault with Aomine and shouting at him or his laziness or occasional insubordination. The two new members who took over the empty positions left by Imayoshi and Susa weren’t any better. They are constantly walking on eggshells around him, and that pisses Aomine off to no ends. Even Sakurai Ryou, dubbed as the Apologetic Mushroom by the captain of Seirin, is more fun to be with (and bully) compared to the newer regulars of the team. And that is something considering that it is Aomine who said that.

 

Nevertheless, when Aomine Daiki saw the chance to escape their extra practices, he took it without any feeling of remorse. After all, it was merely an extra practise and not an official practice. He could just claim that he was busy and no one could do anything about it.

 

Except that their capable manager, aka his pink childhood friend, knew of his schedule inside out and had nagged at him like a broken recorder to attend the extra practice. It was also around the same time that the annoying Kise had texted him about visiting ‘Akashicchi and Tetsuyacchi’, and Aomine immediately agreed to going with him just to get Satsuki off his case. After all, a visit to Akashi with Kise wouldn’t be that bad, right?

 

Oh, how wrong he was. Everywhere he went, he was swarmed with squealing and screaming with girls who wanted to touch Kise and cling onto Kise and have Kise’s autograph. They can’t travel more than a hundred metre without a girl approaching them for a signature. Aomine couldn’t understand why the girls can’t be satisfied with just seeing his annoying face through the magazines.

 

Currently now, they were stopped by a crowd of girls in Kyoto City, unable to even take a step forward – which pisses Aomine to no ends because it was like a constant reminder that he had no female fans or supporters or even a girlfriend for that matter. Well, no. That’s not completely true. He is sure he had some female fans out there somewhere, only that they were too shy to approach him and talk to him. Yeah, that sounds about right.

 

“Kyaa~ Kise-kun you are so cool!!!”

 

 

Aomine sighed. Deciding that he had enough of all this hullabaloo, he sneaked away from the crowd, squeezing out of wiggling, squirming bodies.

 

He heaved another sigh – this time out of relief – when he was finally out of the crowd and began making his way to his Teiko captain’s second home, casually ignoring the cry of ‘Aominecchi!!! Don’t just leave me along with them!!!’ behind him.

 

They had initially planned to take a taxi up to Akashi’s mansion with both Kise and Aomine splitting the cost of the fare. But with Aomine heading towards Akashi’s house without Kise, the tanned male had no choice but to walk up the hill – he won’t have enough to return to Tokyo if he paid for the fare all by himself.

 

He had to thank every deity above that he is a basketball player, or he wouldn’t be able to travel the uphill with just him and his leg power. Had it been any ordinary people, they wouldn’t even be able to last half the journey up to the Akashi branch mansion – it is that high up a hill.

 

By the time he reached the gates and greeted the guards, Aomine was drenched with sweat and he was feeling sticky and uncomfortable. Maybe Momoi would let him off today if he told her about this strength and stamina ‘training’ he did on the way to Akashi’s house. He wondered if Akashi would allow him a quick shower to wash off all the stickiness.

 

Deciding to ask his old captain about it later, Aomine pressed the bell. He had to wait for a little while before the door opened, and he blinked because he couldn’t see anyone behind the door.

 

Aomine paled visibly despite his naturally tan complex. He was so sure someone had opened the door for him.

 

_It couldn’t have been a ghost, could it?_

 

The basketball ace jumped when he left some cool air against him, and immediately crouched down with his hands over his ears chanting ‘I am sorry, I am sorry, oh god please forgive me, I will never skip basketball training ever again’ over and over again.

 

Due to his tightly shut eyes, he was unable to see what was happening, and only felt it when he was suddenly drenched in cold water followed by a loud screech of ‘COCKROACH!’.

 

Hearing the screech, Aomine immediately stood up to look around. He isn’t terrified of cockroaches per se, but he finds them to be disgusting and don’t want to be anywhere near them. He was, however, confused when instead of a cockroach, he saw lots of confused maids carrying nets and insect sprays and sanitizers and mops and cloths surrounding him like he was a pest to be chased away. Behind the confused maids stood a teal teen with a bucket staring at him with intense fear and wariness.

 

_What…?_

 

__________

 

 

Some of the maids were cleaning the windows in the mansion and Tetsuya was helping them refill the buckets with clean water. When he was trudging the bucket back to the maids, he heard the door bell and made a small detour to the door instead. Opening the door, the sight that greeted him was a huge brown thing at crouched down mumbling words he could not understand.

 

Tetsuya remembered what Juurou had told him several days ago, about how roaches and other insects can bring about germs and illnesses that can make everyone feel bad.

 

The skinny boy felt frightful of the huge brown thing in front of the door. Just how much germs would be found on that gigantic cockroach? No way is he going to let it in and hurt the entire household. No way.

 

Out of pure instinct and defence, Tetsuya swung the bucket of water at the huge brown ‘cockroach’ before screaming at the top of his lungs.

 

In less than thirty seconds after his scream, the maids came running heavily armed with all the cleaning supplies. All of them looked around in confusion before turning to Tetsuya, asking him where he had seen the cockroach.

 

Tetsuya crooked his head and pointed at the brown thing that is currently standing up and looking around at the ground. Can’t they see that there is that brown thing over there?

One of the maids whispered something before running back into the mansion. Tetsuya doesn’t know what they were doing, but he knows that he can’t allow that huge brown thing into the house.

 

The teal growled animalistically when the brown thing turned his head to look at him as if he was nuts, but before he could do anything, he was interrupted by Juurou’s voice.

“Aomine?” Juurou had said, sounding as confused as everyone else.

 

__________

 

 

“…Yo,” A grumpy Aomine grunted, stepping out of the shower in a bath robe, his navy blue hair still dripping wet. He did want to borrow Akashi’s shower before, but this wasn’t how he had imagined it to turn out to be.

 

Seeing Aomine step out of the shower, Tetsuya gave him a stink eye, and immediately hid behind Akashi when they made eye contact.

 

“I apologise for what happened just now,” Akashi said after taking a look at the boy who is currently using him as a shield, dipping his head slightly in apology. “Tetsuya greatly dislikes insects, you see…” He explained as they walked towards the living room.

 

“How the hell do I resemble an insect?!” Aomine exclaimed, returning Tetsuya his stink eye.

 

“Gahahahahaha!!! You are so cute, Tetsuyacchi!!!” Kise laughed, hugging the teal tightly. The smaller boy made a small noise of discomfort and detached the clinging blond from him. “So Aominecchi resembles a cockroach-ssu… Gwahahahahahaha!”

 

“Shut up, Kise.” Aomine grumbled.

 

Kise had arrived at the mansion shortly after Aomine went into the shower. After having the situation explained to him, Kise hadn’t been able to stop his laughter since.

 

“Tetsuyacchi has good eye! Aominechhi as the same skin colour as a cockroach after all… gyahahahahahaha!”

 

“Well then, Tetsuya,” Akashi started after leading them into the living room, ignoring the argument behind. “you play nice with my friends while I finish up my revision, alright? I will join you shortly after.” He smiled and ruffled at the teal head.

 

“Aomine and Kise, please look after Tetsuya,” He said before he left, leaving Aomine with a look of surprise and Kise with a ‘told-you-so’ face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever since I had Kuroko meet Midorima, I was thinking of how I could make Kuroko's meeting with the rest of the generations more interesting. When I thought of the cockroach incident, I had thought it would be interesting to link it to Aomine's skin colour.
> 
> This is merely for comedic effect and does not reflect how I view people of different skin tones. I apologise if I have insulted or offended anyone. It is not at all my intention.
> 
> __________
> 
> Today is 8 July. If I may be so selfish as to request my dear readers of something if they have the time to spare, could you please visit this website:
> 
> https://justsimplyl.tumblr.com/post/162726015417/tribute-in-memory-of-a-dear-friend-whom-i-lost-to
> 
> It is a tribute I had done for a precious, selfless friend of mine.  
> A warning that it contains mentions of self harm and suicide.
> 
> I would greatly appreciate it if everyone could to take a few second of their time to check it out.  
> Thank you for reading.


	17. Chapter 17: Progress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Lots of Aomine-bashing because he is mean to Tetsuya.

**Chapter Seventeen: Progress**

“Nigou!” Tetsuya exclaimed, proudly showing Aomine and Kise his friend.

 

“Who named this?” Kise asked, peering closely at the soft toy.

 

“Juurou.” Was the simple response as the teal hugged the soft toy tightly against his chest, his eyes squeezing in pure love and bliss.

 

“Pfft. Makes a lot of sense…” Aomine commented, looking into the dual blue eyes. “It's almost eerie with both same eyes staring at me.”

 

“Aominecchi!” Kise gasped in shock. “That's not very nice-ssu.”

 

“-Well, it's true!” The navy blue retorted.

 

“But still--” The yellow tried to argue back, but movements at corner of their eyes had caught their attention.

 

The two formal Teiko basketball regulars turned their heads to look at the source of movement, only to see the teal sulking and pouting.

 

“Mean cockroach…” He muttered, throwing a cute (Kise’s point of view) glare at the tanned basketball player.

 

“Wha--” Aomine spluttered in indignant but the teal was already moving away to retrieve some card games, leaving him with his mouth open and Kise laughing hysterically.

 

__________

 

“Gah dammit, I lost again!” Aomine exclaimed, throwing the Uno cards in his hands onto table. He threw a glare at the smirking teal before removing a sock.

 

“Aominecchi you cheat! Socks doesn't count-ssu!”

 

“Shaddup! My left foot is being stripped! That counts too!” The former ace snapped as the blond gathered the cards to reshuffle for the next round.

 

Tetsuya had initiated a game of Uno, and to spice up the game, Kise had suggested for the loser to strip. Since it was a three player, the winner would naturally be the one who cleared all his cards first, and the loser would be the one who cleared his cards last.

 

So far, Aomine had been stripped down to his inner shirt, boxers and right sock, Kise had only removed his outer hoodie and Tetsuya did not remove anything at all.

 

“I swear that the damn kid has something against me.” The Touou student muttered when Kise started redistributing the cards. “Damn brat kept giving me draw twos and wild draw fours. Not to mention, he kept skipping my turn so I can't put any cards down at all!”

 

Tetsuya glared back at the ‘gigantic cockroach’ and stuck his tongue out.

 

Kise squealed at the cute action, pulling the miserable Tetsuya into a bone crushing hug. “Tetsuyacchi is soooooo cute!!!”

 

“Besides,” The blond continued when Tetsuya struggle out of his hold. “it is all Aominecchi’s fault for calling Tetsuyacchi eerie earlier-ssu.”

 

“Bad cockroach.” Tetsuya agreed, ignoring Aomine’s exclamation of ‘That’s so long ago!’

 

“Hey… how about you stop calling me a cockroach? I am Aomine.” The tanned teen finally addressed an issue that's been bothering him. “A cockroach doesn’t make me feel very clean.”

 

“It's not like Aominecchi is clean in the first place.”

 

“Shut it. No one's asking you!”

 

“Aone…” Tetsuya mumbled, trying out the name in his tongue.

 

_Well, ‘Aone is nowhere close to ‘Aomine’, but it is still better than cockroach…_

 

“Right!” Aomine grinned, reaching over the table to ruffle at the soft teal hair. “And you shall be Tetsu!”

 

Tetsuya perked up at the foreign name. His name is Tetsuya! He never had a name during his time as a slave, so he treasures the name that Juurou had given him! That Aone guy is missing a ‘ya’ in his name! But when he pointed that out, the tanned ten merely laughed and claim that Tetsu is Tetsu and that it sounds cute.

 

Tetsuya shook his head vehemently and pointed to himself, “Tetsuya!” He said.

 

Aomine smirked, “Tetsu.” He challenged.

 

“Tetsuya!”

 

“Tetsu.”

 

“Tetsuya!”

 

“Tetsu.”

 

“Te-tsu-ya!” He grounded out.

 

“Tetsu.” Came the smooth reply.

 

“...”

 

When the expected ‘Tetsuya’ did not arrive from the teal, both the navy blue and yellow looked up at the teal and was shocked to find tears gathering around the frowny eyes. Then, all of the sudden, the smallest of the three burst into tears and ran out of the room with a loud cry of ‘JUUUUROU!!!’

 

Silence descended upon the room when the cry faded off into the distance. “Rest in peace, Aominecchi.” Kise turned to whisper.

 

Aomine’s face paled.

 

__________

 

When Tetsuya returned a few minutes later, his eyes were filled with mirth and he was grinning evilly (Aomine’s point of view) and cutely (Kise’s point of view). No traces of the previous tears could be seen.

 

Tetsuya opened his mouth, but the words that come out of it were totally unexpected. “Ahomine! Ahone!” He exclaimed.

 

“W-WHAT?!” Aomine spluttered, his voice raising an octave higher. Ignoring Kise’s hysterical laughter, he muttered “Akashi must have taught you that…”

 

“Indeed,” a cool voice interrupted, stopping the laughter and causing both males to sit up straight.

 

The owner of the voice entered the room and Tetsuya happily snuggled up into him.

 

“While all is fair in love and war,” the former Teiko captain started. “it is pretty pathetic to pick on someone who is obviously unable to fight back. I hope you are ready for some karma.” He smirked.

 

__________

 

That ‘karma’, as Akashi puts it, turned out to be a two-on-one game of basketball, with Aomine and Kise on a team against Akashi, while Tetsuya sat on the swing watching with interest.

 

The basketball game ended with Akashi’s overwhelming victory. While the former Teiko captain had the skills and intelligence to outsmart both Aomine and Kise, the reason why none of them could score against him was due to their constant disagreement on who should score and who should defence. Currently now, both of them were arguing over whose fault it was that they haven't scored a goal.

 

Akashi heaved a deep sigh of exasperation but smiled fondly at the scene. That scene had happened all the time during their Teiko days, with Kise always challenging the ace on a one-on-one, and the latter always getting irritated by the former’s hyperactiveness. Watching them arguing like old times sent waves of nostalgia through him. He was, however, brought out of his thoughts by a shy tug at his sleeves.

 

Akashi turned around to find a timid Tetsuya with his head turned down, staring at him from behind his bangs.

 

“Yes, Tetsuya?” He smiled, gently encouraging the teal to voice out his opinion.

 

Still with his head turned down, Tetsuya started fiddling with the redhead’s sleeves in nervousness. “...Tetsuya wanna play too…” He mumbled, occasionally glancing up at the taller teen to gauge his reaction.

 

Akashi grinned happily and clasped the skinny boy by his shoulders, proud that Tetsuya is growing out of his fear of voicing his thoughts.

 

“I will teach you the basics. The most basic action in basketball is dribbling. Try dribbling the ball like this…”

 

__________

 

The basketball hit the side of the ring with a loud ‘thonk’ before bouncing away on Akashi’s private court.

 

“Mrgrgr!” Tetsuya glared at the ball before slumping down in defeat. He had picked up the basics of dribbling pretty quickly and was currently learning how to shoot. However, no matter how Akashi teach him, the stubborn ball just wouldn't go onto the hoop. Akashi watched as Tetsuya ran after the ball. If anything, he had to applaud the boy for his resilience -- they had been going on at shooting for more than thirty times already.

 

“Damn Tetsu, you suck at shooting.” Came Aomine’s thoughtless comment.

 

Akashi pinched his nose and let out a long sigh. The first thing Aomine said immediately after he ended his long fight with Kise was to comment about Tetsuya’s shooting skills.

 

Tetsuya glared at the tan basketball player, both for the nickname and the insult, before throwing a surprisingly fast ball in Aomine’s way, hitting the unsuspecting boy square in the face.

 

“What the hell?!” Aomine rubbed at his now swollen nose, tears forming in his eyes in response to the pain. “Damn brat has something against me I swear!”

 

“Aomine, mind your language,” Their former captain warned. “Besides, all I can say is that you reap what you sow.” He then turned his attention back at the teal. So far, Akashi had only taught him the basis of dribbling and shooting, and the teal was mediocre at best. However, that pass just now had caught him by surprise. Perhaps…

 

“Aomine, Kise, let's play one last round of basketball, same duration, ten minutes. This time, the two of you against me and Tetsuya.”

 

“Hah?!” Both the blue and yellow stared at their redhead captain. _What on earth is he planning?_

 

____________

 

Tetsuya couldn’t control his excitement. He got to play basketball with Juurou!

 

“Tetsuya, calm down,” Akashi laughed when the other boy kept jumping about.

 

The boy obediently stopped his bouncing action and grinned up at the redhead, his body was still trembling with excitement.

 

“Okay, listen, Tetsuya. Let’s trash that mean Aomine over there, shall we?”

 

At Tetsuya’s enthusiastic nod, Akashi continued. “First, we shall...”

 

Aomine and Kise had been holding back, it was very obvious to Akashi. Though he supposed they were just trying to be kind since Tetsuya barely knew the rules of the game. That was fine with him though, since Akashi wanted to show Tetsuya how a basketball game is like.

 

Whenever Tetsuya had his ball stolen away, Akashi would steal it back from them. Whenever Tetsuya’s ball missed the hoop, Akashi would push the ball back into it. The game was rocky at the beginning, but eventually, the shorter pair got the rhythm.

 

Akashi had realised that Tetsuya is exceptionally good at passing, and had made good use of his newfound ability. Making a slight change to their strategy, Akashi and Tetsuya had made goals after goals, to the point that both Aomine and Kise decided not to go easy on them anymore. Not that it would make any difference at this point in the game.

 

“Tetsuyacchi, you are surprisingly good!” Kise praised, wiping the sweat off his forehead and panting hard.

 

Tetsuya flashed the blond was tired grin, showing him a peace sign.

 

“Dammit Akashi, I am all sweaty again,” Aomine complained, fanning himself with his shirt.

 

“Then let us have a shower,” Akashi suggested. “We have several bathrooms in here.”

 

Everyone turned to head back into the mansion, but when Tetsuya took a step forward, his knees buckled beneath him and he fell flat onto the ground.

 

“Tetsuya/Tetsu/Tetsuyacchi!” The other three exclaimed, running towards the teal.

 

Tetsuya tried to pick himself up, but he did not make it far before he fell to his elbows again. The teal looked up at Akashi with panicked eyes, unsure as to why he suddenly could not stand up. He reached out to grab at Akashi’s leg when the latter ran up to him, afraid that Akashi would leave him alone.

 

“Juurou...” Tetsuya whined, terrified.

 

Aomine quickly got behind him, lifting him up into a sitting position and supporting him from behind so that Akashi can better examine his leg while Kise hovered around uncertainly.

 

He had never noticed it through all that clothes, but now that he is touching the teal, Aomine realised that Tetsuya is ridiculously thin.

 

Akashi gently removed the hand around his ankles. “Shh, don’t be afraid, Tetsuya. I won’t leave you.” He squatted down to observe the teal’s leg, noticing the slight trembling and twitching in the other’s leg muscles.

 

“Over exhaustion...” Akashi tsked. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were tired, Tetsuya?” Akashi chided.

 

Tetsuya could feel the wave of disappointment around Akashi, and knowing that Juurou was upset with him sent a wave of sadness and self-hatred through him. “Sorry… Sorry Juurou...” He started to cry. “Please don’t be mad, please don’t hate me...”

 

“Shh, I am not angry, Tetsuya, and neither do I hate you.” Akashi gave the sore legs a slight massage to ease the tensed muscles. “Aomine, could you carry Tetsuya into my room? I will lead the way. Kise would you run to inform the maids to prepare a warm bath for Tetsuya?”

 

Aomine gently scooped the sobbing teal up cradle-style after Kise ran back into the mansion, following after Akashi. The teal had weighted almost nothing, and Aomine is terribly afraid that he would accidentally break the boy.

 

“ Hey, Akashi--”

 

“I will answer whatever questions you have later, Aomine.” Akashi interrupted, as if knowing his thoughts. “Let’s just focus on this for now.”

 

__________

 

After dismissing Kise and Aomine to shower, Akashi gave both Tetsuya and himself a quick wash to get rid of the sweat before drying themselves and settling the smaller boy down at the edge of the tub so that the teal’s legs were submerged in the warm bath water. The Akashi heir bend down to continue to massage at the tensed leg muscles, hoping that both the massage and the warm water would reduce the soreness that will no doubt come later.

 

The teal was strangely quiet, and Akashi looked up to see him biting at his lips and clutching at his arms so tightly both the skin and knuckles were turning white.

 

“None of that,” Akashi commanded, pushing the boy’s two cheeks together like a fish and unclenching the fingers that were torturing the arm.

 

The redhead tried to search for his eyes, but the blue eye refused eye contact.

 

Finally, Akashi sighed. “Tetsuya,” He placed a hand below the chin to push the head up towards him. “If you really feel bad, then don't do it again, okay? Next time, when you feel tired, let me know. Don't keep quiet, alright?”

 

Tetsuya was unconvinced that Akashi wasn't mad at him. After all, master always get angry when Tetsuya had inconvenienced him. But Juurou is an angel and angels don't hit people, right? That's what he was taught, and so he decided to place his bet on the redhead.

 

Nodding his head to acknowledge the other's words, Tetsuya timidly made eye contact with the red eyes before shuffling closer.

 

When he was rewarded with a warm and tight embrace, Tetsuya snuggled into the warmth, knowing that he had made the right choice.

 

Akashi however, pulled away after a few moments, making Tetsuya whine from the loss of comfort, trying to bury his face back into the other’s neck.

 

Akashi laughed, because that was so cute of him. “Come on Tetsuya, Aomine and Kise are worried about you. How about you go out to show them that you are alright, and then we can get back to snuggle, okay?”

 

“Snuggle? After Ahone and Kiss?” Tetsuya looked up at him with adorable eyes.

 

Akashi smiled at the nicknames. “That’s right, let’s go.” He said, lifting the teal out of the tub and supporting him while they get dressed.

 

The Akashi heir was proud of the short time it took for Tetsuya to calm down from his crying fit. It’s a sign that he is getting over the trauma he faced before, and is getting used to a new style of life. He was happy that they had made progress with Tetsuya’s growth, and hoped that it would continue with the same progress.

 

But a couple of days later, it was almost as if all that progress from beginning to end had never happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...  
>  Well, there's that. The story is moving. You see that now.  
> The next development is a huge, painful but important step. For Akashi, and especially for Tetsuya. What would happen next had been subtly hinted in the previous chapters and strongly hinted in this.  
> Life isn't all fluff and sweet after all. You should know how much I hated my life if you happen to read through my notes and certain comments.


	18. Chapter 18: Realisation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It no longer matters now; not when Tetsuya now fears him with every fibre of his being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warning:  
> Crude languages, dehumanising description, possible triggers, and mentioning of the mayor(because I think he needs a warning for himself)

**Chapter Eighteen: Realisation**

 

In his defence, he could have been too stressed; too busy and wasn’t thinking things through. The stress might have made him make rash decisions. Had he had a calmer mind, he could have handled the situation more delicately. It was more of a way of explanation, instead of an excuse.

 

However, that no longer matters now. Not when Tetsuya now fears him with every fibre of his being.

 

It started off innocently, like any ordinary day. Before Kise and Aomine left the mansion, Kise had given Tetsuya some books that he had read as a baby. Apparently, his parents had kept all his baby items, having been reluctant to get rid of them. Hence, they were more than happy to give it to someone who needs them.

 

For the next few days, Tetsuya had been reading the books that Kise had given him. Meanwhile, with his examinations drawing nearer and nearer, Akashi found himself drowning in books and revision works, neglecting Tetsuya.

 

Even if people see him as a natural born genius, Akashi still insists on working hard. He would not take things for granted, and he would do everything to the best of his ability to ensure only the best of results.

 

At the back of his mind, he felt bad for not spending time with the teal apart from eating and sleeping together. He made a mental promise that he would devote all his time to Tetsuya once his exams were over.

 

On one particular evening when Akashi was feeling particularly stressed and tired from all the work he had to do, Tetsuya came running into the room with a book Kise had given him, all happy and smiles.

 

“Juurou!” Tetsuya exclaimed running up to Akashi for a hug.

 

Akashi laughed and put his pen down, turning his body to wrap his arms around the boy. As usual, the sight of Tetsuya had revitalised him completely.

 

“Hello, Tetsuya. What’s the matter?” He smiled at the boy.

 

Tetsuya untangled himself from the hug and placed his book on the table.

 

“Juurou.” He said, pointing to a page.

 

Akashi took a glance at the page and smiled in amusement. He shook his head at the teal and began flipping through the hard pages. If that word is there, then…

 

Ah, found it.

 

“This is me, Tetsuya.” Akashi corrected, pointing to the page with an image of ‘human’ on it.

 

The boy stubbornly shook his head. “Tetsuya!” He proclaimed, pointing at the human image. Then, he took the book from Akashi and flipped it back to the page with the angel image. “Juurou.” He insisted, pointing to the angel.

 

Akashi smiled patiently. “No Tetsuya,” he corrected again, flipping the book back to the human image. “This is me, this is ‘Juurou’.”

 

The teal then stubbornly pointed to the human image. “Tetsuya!” He exclaimed, and then again, flipped it back to the angel image. “Juurou!”. He then flipped to the next page -- the heaven image. “Home!” He said.

 

Whatever amusement Akashi had after that evaporated instantly. Instead, he felt dread settling at the pit of his stomach.

 

_Is that how Tetsuya had been seeing him this entire time…? That...He was an angel, and his mansion...A heaven? All this time, had he thought that he was in the afterlife?_

 

Looking at the clock and determining that he had enough time to do what he wanted to do, Akashi stood up from his chair.

 

“Wear something warm, Tetsuya, we are going out.” He instructed.

 

Akashi is busy and needed time to study, but at this point, he felt that correcting Tetsuya’s misunderstanding is the utmost important.

 

__________

 

The car ride was tensed and quiet. Akashi was deep in thought. He hadn't had the slightest clue that that was how Tetsuya had seen him as. He thought they were making good progress, but that's only because Tetsuya thought that he was in the afterlife, and so it made him more daring to try new things. Akashi knew he can't keep this up. The longer Tetsuya believed in this fantasy, the harder it is to correct him. And that is not what Akashi wanted for him. He wanted Tetsuya to accept his past and move on. He wanted Tetsuya to be able to live the rest of his life proudly, not in a delusion.

 

“Juurou…?” The teal asked in a soft tone, feeling uneasy.

 

Whether Akashi heard him or not, Tetsuya wasn't sure. Either way, Akashi did not show any signs of acknowledging him, and his silence was making Tetsuya more and more afraid.

 

_Is Juurou mad at him? Had he done something wrong? Why isn't Juurou talking?_

 

____________

 

When the car pulled over, Akashi got off and circled around the car to open the door for the other boy. He held his hands out to guide the teal out of the car.

 

Tetsuya looked around, taking in his surroundings. The place felt familiar, yet it had a different vibe.

 

With their hands still connected, Akashi lead the teal through the village. They had received stares and whispers as they walked pass the stores and people, but Akashi easily ignored them. Tetsuya, on the other hand, felt uneasy and huddled closer to Juurou for protection.

 

“Akashi-sama?” A shy voice called out, catching the attention of both boys.

 

Akashi stopped in his tracks to look at the lady in front of him, recognising her as the villager he had gotten information of the mayor from.

 

“It’s nice seeing you again,” Akashi greeted. “Thank you for your information from before, I trust that things have been well?”

 

“About that, Akashi-sama, thank you for keeping your promises. A state official visits this area every month to keep everything in line until the next mayor is decided. The yakuzas that worked under the mayor no longer terrorised the village after he was arrested. But it is all thanks to your efforts that we can live a better quality of life. Thank you very much!” The villager bowed low.

 

“Don’t mention it. It was also thanks to you and your information that I know where to look for to pull the rag from under him. I am glad that this village has a better standard of living now.” He replied. “Now if you would excuse me, I have some business to attend to.”

 

“Ah, of course,” The lady bowed again as the pair walked pass her. She took in the other boy who was walking with Akashi-sama, her eyes widening in surprise and shock when she recognised the teal as the very same abused slave that had trudged through the village transporting heavy goods every day in the past.

 

The former slave looked much more confident now, looking at the road straight ahead instead of keeping his head low like how he used to. His eyes were bright and full of life, much unlike the lifeless ones that he had had. He is still rather skinny, but not emaciated like he was before. Now that the boy was clean and well dressed, she could see that the boy had beautiful baby blue hair that was previously hidden by dirt and blood. In his eyes held so much innocence and curiosity that the lady couldn’t help but to tear up in happiness. She was happy for the boy, seeing that he had had a much better life now.

 

She had seen the boy since he was about two-years-old, having been just bought by the mayor. She had seen how his once innocent eyes turned into lifeless ones after years of serving the mayor. She observed the boy turning from skinny to emaciated, and how he always had his eyes casted down, afraid of even his own shadow. She had always felt guilty -- she wanted to help the boy but didn’t have the ability to. She could only watch the boy suffer, feeling worse as days passed.

 

She could have easily guessed the kind of life he had led under the mayor; she could see it on his skin. The mayor was known for his violent and vulgar nature, and just the thought of living a life facing all that physical and mental torture is enough to make one wish for death. But this kid -- heaven bless his soul -- lived through all that abuse, yet, he is still here, still breathing and looking healthier than ever, his eyes still carrying hope for the world. The lady couldn’t help but to be touched by his strength. She is glad that Akashi-sama had found him and had given him a new chance at life.

 

But… what are the pair doing in a village that would no doubt bring about trauma to the former slave?

 

___________

 

Akashi felt Tetsuya tense when they stopped in front of the mansion previously owned by the mayor, now a property belonging to the state.

 

“Juurou…?” Tetsuya’s voice came, confused and fearful.

 

Akashi pulled the boy into the unoccupied mansion, the other following with hesitant steps. He needs to do this, Tetsuya needs to know this, because the boy can’t keep living in his fantasy forever. If the boy can’t accept reality, he will make him see reality.

 

The last time he had been here was more than six months ago, when Tetsuya was locked up below and Akashi was arresting the mayor. The exterior and interior hadn’t changed a bit, everything was as he remembered.

He felt Tetsuya huddled closer to him, but he turned into the master bedroom and opened the compartment that hides the door, ignoring the fearful and trembling Tetsuya behind him.

 

Opening the secret door, the pungent smell of old stale human waste assaulted both boys. Light from the master bedroom lid up the interior of the secret room, and Akashi dragged the boy all the way down the steps, to the exact spot they had met before letting go of their clasped hands.

 

He took in the place they were in, and everything were just as he had remembered. The peeled off paint, the dried blood and human waste were still there. So were Tetsuya’s ‘friends’ -- the dead cockroach that was nothing more than an empty shell, and the sewage rat that is now brittle bones.

 

He remembered telling himself to never take fresh air for granted, and now he found himself thinking of the same thing again. It's hard to not take for granted something you can't see yet got for free every day.

 

“This is reality, Tetsuya.” His tone was sad, his voice echoing through the enclosed room. “You can’t run away from it; you can’t not acknowledge it.”

 

From behind him, he heard Tetsuya collapse.

 

__________

 

When they first reached the village, Tetsuya had thought that it looked familiar. However, the vibe of the village is more lively and happy than what he remembered, and the building structures were different, so he chalked it up to the version of his village in ‘Juurou’’s world.

 

As they walked further in, the teal noticed that though the vibe and area looked slightly different, it held a strange sense of familiarity, more so when they stood in front of a mansion that looked just like his master’s.

 

Tetsuya tensed, recognising the place where he spent most of his life in. But he doesn’t understand. Why does this place exist? Shouldn’t heaven supposed to be a place full of goodness and happiness? Why would they have the mansion here? The mansion was filled with evil people. Surely such a place wouldn’t be in heaven? More importantly, why is Juurou bringing him here?

 

“Juurou…?” Tetsuya asked, full and confusion and fear.

 

Akashi, however, ignored his question and pulled him into the mansion. Tetsuya had no choice but to follow reluctantly.

 

He recognised every place in the mansion, and flashbacks assaulted him with every area that he looked.

 

He saw the living room -- that place where he would be in whenever his master’s friends came over. He was always made to stand at the corner of the room until he had received orders to do something. Usually, it is to bring them more alcohol. Sometimes, when they were feeling particularly cruel, they would throw some food onto the floor and had him eat it with just his mouth.

 

Beyond the living room lies the kitchen where an old refrigerator stood tall and proud. He remembered seeing the other servants opening it to take out ingredients to cook. Right beside that stood a smaller, shorter fridge. In there sits the alcohol bottles that Master always asked him to retrieve. Near the smaller fridge is the cabinet that stored the clear glasses he had broken. Tetsuya shivered as he recalled the punishment and felt his old wound throbbing. Opposite to the cabinet are the cooking stoves where he once stolen food from more than once before he was caught. He vividly recalled the physical abuse he suffered -- it's something he'd never want to go through again.

 

Suddenly, Tetsuya froze. If this place exists, does that mean that Master exists too? Tetsuya huddled closer to his Juurou, because Juurou will protect him, right? Juurou won't let Master do anything to him, right?

 

When Tetsuya was led into the master bedroom, Tetsuya felt himself tremble violently. The only time he went in here was to be put into the punishment room. And as if on cue, Juurou opened the door to the room -- the door he had tried many times to open only to fail.

 

Every cell in his body was screaming at him not to go, but for some reason, his legs moved without his permission when he felt Juurou tugged at his hand. As they descended the stairs, Tetsuya felt his heart rate increase rapidly. It was hammering against his chest, and he felt his hands going cold and clammy, his head swung with dizziness, and he felt himself becoming even more terrified when Juurou let his hand go.

 

He kept his eyes shut tight, refusing to look at his surroundings. He was afraid that if he opened his eyes, he would see his master standing there, riding crop and knives in hand. He thought that if he willed it hard enough, he would be back at Juurou’s place, far and safe from the clutches of his Masters. He doesn't understand why Juurou brought him here. He just wants to go home!

 

But before he managed to sound out to Juurou, Juurou already started speaking. “This is reality, Tetsuya.”

 

Tetsuya’s eyes snapped opened.

 

_‘What? He tried to run away again?’_

 

_‘You got guts, kid. And your mind is crazily strong.’_

 

_He was lifted by his neck and dragged into the punishment room. He was tossed into the room, his head hitting the edge of the stairs before tumbling down the remaining flights._

 

_‘This is your...what is it... third time trying to escape? I thought I had beat it into you the previous time that it's no use.’_

 

_His master held him up against the wall by the neck and Tetsuya wheezed painfully, his lungs desperately rebelling his constricting his throat. He felt all the air escaped from him when Master punched him in the gut before tossing him to the ground, falling like a broken rag doll._

 

_His master walked towards him very, very slowly. And he got more and more frightened whenever the shoes got closer. When his master reached just beside his face, he bent down to put his mouth near his ear._

 

_‘This is reality, my dear fuck toy.’_

 

_‘You are a slave and nothing else.’_

 

“You can't run away from it.”

 

_‘You can never run from your fate.’_

 

_‘Once a slave, always a slave. This is your fate, you can never escape it.’_

 

“You can't not acknowledge it.”

 

_‘Just acknowledge it, you stupid thing.’_

 

Oh.

 

__________

 

He didn't notice when his knees had touched the ground. His mind failed register him falling, too lost in his thoughts and realisation to think about anything else.

 

He finally understood.

 

Juurou wasn't an angel at all. He is a human. He is just like Master.

 

And he wasn't in heaven. He was in the same place… same world as he was during his painful days. He hadn't died at all.

 

“No…”

 

Nothing has really changed. He is still a slave.

 

“No…”

 

He is still a fuck toy.

 

“No.”

 

Only now, Juurou is his master.

 

“No!”

 

Juurou who was kind to him.

 

“No!”

 

Juurou who held him so tenderly.

 

“No!”

 

“Tetsuya?!”

 

All that, was just a fabrication.

 

“No! No!”

 

“Tetsuya?! Hey!”

 

It was all a cleverly made-up lie to get him to trust Juurou.

 

“NO!”

 

He had been deceived.

 

“NO!!”

 

And now that the truth had been revealed,

 

“Tetsuya?! Can you hear me?!”

 

Juurou would no longer be so nice to him.

 

“NO!!!”

 

“Hey! Tetsuy--”

 

All this time… All that kindness Juurou has showed him, was all in preparation for this day.

 

Oh, how foolish he had been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and/or kudos are greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks for reading, everyone.


	19. Chapter 19: Rejection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This lost and confused boy in his arms right now was so much like the broken little boy back in the past that his heart ached to see his strong hearted master reduced to such a state.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of blowjobs, abuse and OOC-ness.
> 
> Thanks for all the comments the previous time. Reading about those kept my mind away from evil thoughts.  
> I received a lot of 'Noooooo's as comments... you guys are so cute.
> 
> Though, what is a story without angst sometimes? Especially with the nature of this story.

**Chapter Nineteen: Rejection**

 

When Tetsuya opened his eyes the next time, he was in Juurou’s room, on his own side of the bed. He wasn’t sure when he had lost consciousness, but waking up in bed made him felt as if all that had happened before was a dream. He would have sighed in relief and chalked it all up as a strangely realistic dream until he noticed that the clothing he wore was the exact same one that he wore in his ‘dream’.

 

At that realisation, his heart sank and he felt himself being filled with dread. Juurou had treated him with so much kindness, and now he would be expected to return them. After all, Juurou is a human, and humans would never do things without wanting something in return.

 

Tetsuya let out a small whimper of fear as he brought Nigou to his chest and buried his face into the soft fur of the plush toy. He wondered what Akashi would make him do. Maybe cleaning of the mansion if he is lucky? The mansion is big… bigger than his previous master’s, but he is sure he could manage… somehow. Or… or if Juurou wants him to kneel and suck him at the bottom, he could do that too… well, he doesn’t like it, it felt strange to him, but if Juurou so wish… Or...what if Juurou doesn’t want his services? What if Juurou wants to use him as a punching bag, like his master? He wasn’t sure that he would be able to endure that.

 

Tetsuya tensed when he heard the knot turning, his mind conjuring up scenarios of what could happen now that he had regained consciousness. Juurou would most probably start by putting him in his place, making it known that he(Juurou) is the master and that he(himself) is nothing but a slave.

 

That he could do. He would never look at Juurou in the eyes, he would reply everything with a ‘Yes master’, he would do as his master wishes, whatever they might be.

 

Or, or he could lie back down now, pretend that he is still asleep, so that he could delay his inevitable fate.

 

Oh, but Master Juurou is smart! He could probably tell that he is awake the whole time, and punishment would be very severe if he was caught lying.

 

Tetsuya jumped when the door opened fully. He clutched onto Nigou and the sheets, trying to make himself as small as possible.

 

__________

   

Tetsuya had fainted from shock shortly after his unexpected outburst in the mayor’s house.

 

That small attack had frightened him; he had never seen Tetsuya react like that before. His words couldn't reach the boy. In the end, only unconsciousness brought peace to the others mind.

 

Akashi had picked him up and brought him out of the mayor’s house where his chauffeur was waiting. He had instructed for the car to be at the door fifteen minutes after they were dropped off at the village.

 

When they reach home, Akashi had immediately placed Tetsuya into bed, on his side of the bed, hoping that the smell of familiarity could bring him out of his consciousness.

 

Initially, he checked to see if he was awake every five minutes. After he had realised how ridiculous he was being, he started checking every thirty minutes.

 

About two hours and a half had passed since they got home, and Tetsuya was still asleep. He wasn't expecting much when he checked on Tetsuya again, this time with a small bowl of porridge for him, expecting to see that same unmoving lump that was the sleeping Tetsuya. Hence, he was a mixture of shock, happiness and relief when he saw the boy sitting up on bed.

 

“Tetsuya!” Akashi exclaimed in shock. He frowned when he noticed the boy flinch. “Tetsuya, I got you porridge. Is not chicken porridge though, just a normal rice porridge.” He settled the bowl on the bedside table.

 

“Tetsuya, what's wrong?” He cupped Tetsuya’s cheeks, only for the boy to flinch and tremble.

 

Akashi squatted by the bed, bring his eye level below the other’s. “Tetsuya,” He tried again. “what's the matter?” He had managed to catch Tetsuya’s eyes before it shifted away quickly.

 

“Nothing is wrong… Master…” came the soft reply.

 

Akashi felt his heart dropped.

 

__________

 

“Master? What are you saying?”

 

“Te-Tetsuya understands now. Master treated Tetsuya so kindly so that Tetsuya would be in debt to Master. Tetsuya is ready to repay his debts, please use him as you please, Master.” The teal boy kneeled on the bed with his head bowled low.

 

“Hah? What? I would never—! Tetsuya you—” The Akashi heir was a mess of confusion. Did Tetsuya seriously think that he was nice to him just so that he could make the boy be in debt to him? That is absurd, he would never do that, why can't Tetsuya understand that?!

 

In a fleet of anger and desperation, Akashi roughly grasped onto Tetsuya’s shoulder, forcefully pushing him up and shaking his violently.

 

“Tetsuya, what's wrong with you? Why can't you see?! All this time, have I ever shown any indication that I would want something in return? All I want was for you to get better. I don't want your servitude, why can't you understand that?!”

 

He was so desperate; desperate to have Tetsuya understand that he meant no harm. He failed to realise that his actions were hurting the other; that he was only making the boy more terrified of him.

 

__________

 

Tetsuya had his head bowed low the entire time, so he was astonished when Juurou— Master suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders to push him up. He watched in fear as Ju— Master’s face twisted in fury and... desperation? as he roughly shook his shoulders.

 

He was terrified. Master had never done that to him before and he was afraid. His new role in this household is most likely to serve as a punching bag.

 

“Tetsuya, what's wrong with you? Why can't you see?!”

 

Oh, he could see, alright. He could see that Master is angry with him. He is a worthless slave who had immediately made his master angry. He could see himself being used as a punching bag. He could see his master hitting him. When things don't go well, when Master is stressed and annoyed, or when Master just feel like it, he could see himself being punched and hit. He could see himself covered in bruises and blood. He could see it all too clearly, the fate of a useless slave.

 

“All this time, have I ever shown any indication that I would want something in return?”

 

Well, no, but Master is human and humans would always do something with an intention. Why else would Master be so nice to him if not to have him in debt?

 

“All I want was for you to get better.”

 

Yeah, get better so that he can start to work for Master.

 

“I don't want your servitude, why can't you understand that?!”

 

Tetsuya’s eyes snapped opened. His mind was in a mess, thoughts countering each other.

 

Juurou never wanted his servitude…

 

_That's just an excuse! He will expect you to repay him eventually!_

 

All Juurou wanted was for him to recover…

 

_Have you ever seen Master ever being nice and never expected anything in return?!_

 

Juurou...had never forced him to do anything he didn't want…

 

_He just wanted to give you that false sense of security!_

 

Juurou had never hit him before…

 

_How many damn times do you have to go through the same abuse to finally learn?!_

 

Juurou...who was always nice and kind and patient with him…

 

_Who would be kind to a worthless slave like yourself?!_

 

Juurou...who...wanted him...for who he is…

 

_Who would want a useless, disgusting, broken thing like you?!_

 

“STOP!!!”

 

Tetsuya’s sudden shout had stunned Akashi into releasing him from the shoulders.

 

“Go away!”

 

Tetsuya mentally chased that two voices away.

 

“Go away!!”

 

“...Tetsuya?” Akashi started, trying to reach out to the boy who was clutching onto his head and shaking them violently.

 

“Go away! Go away! Go away go away go away go away go away!!!” He cried until his voice broke.

 

Akashi felt his heart broke. His rash actions had turned Tetsuya into this panicked state. Tetsuya was formerly a slave, a badly abused one. Akashi should have handled the situation more delicately, he should have thought of how Tetsuya would react, he should--

 

“Young Master,” A calm voice sounded

 

Akashi snapped his head around to see his personal Butler standing by his side, his hand gripping onto his shoulders.

 

When had he gotten in? He was usually always aware of his surroundings, yet, he couldn't hear the Butler coming in. No, more importantly--

 

“Tetsu—!”

 

“Young Master,” The head Butler said again, turning his master by the shoulders to face him. “I believe you should leave for the time being.” He suggested, gently guiding the small boy out of the room, away from the other’s hysterical cries.

 

It was only when they were out of the room did Akashi remembered how to react.

 

“No,” He mumbled, turning around to face his Butler once more. “I can't. I-I need to fix this. I need to apologise…!”

 

“Young Master,” The head Butler repeated, slightly more forceful this time. “Tetsuya-san is in a state of shock. Nothing you say can reach him. And you are too panicky right now, you should calm down first.”

 

“But, I have to apologise,” Akashi tilted his head to look at the screaming teal from the gap left by the partially opened door. “it's all my fault and I—” His words were cut short when the Butler shifted his body to block the view.

 

“Please,” he begged, turning desperate, lost red eyes to the Butler. He clutched onto his butler’s uniform, uncaring that the action made him look weak. “let me apologise...let me fix this, please…”

 

The Butler gently held his young master’s face between his two palms, tilting said face up to look into his own emerald eyes.

 

“Young master, listen to my voice. Take deep breath, that's right, now breathe out and stay calm. I will escort you to your temporary room. You will stay in there, and calm your mind, alright?” He gently rubbed the redhead’s cheeks with his thumb, feeling the other’s grip on his uniform slacken.

 

At Akashi’s hesitant nod, he slowly removed Akashi’s hands from his uniform and gently led his charge into the mentioned room.

 

Once Akashi was seated onto the bed, the Butler cupped his face again.

 

“I will be back to check on you in a while, alright?”

 

Another nod.

 

The head Butler silently sighed and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

 

__________

 

Young Master Seijuurou had been rather stressed lately, so he had requested for the cook to prepare some tofu soup for their young master.

 

It was also during then that he heard young master Seijuurou shouting from his room. Knowing that the young master would never lose his patience at the former slave under normal circumstances, he had decided to investigate.

 

He quickened his pace when he heard Tetsuya-san and his hysterics, and opened the door to see Tetsuya-san covering his ears while screaming, and his own master gripping onto the other boy’s shoulders with his face full of desperation.

 

Approaching his charge, he calmly called out his master’s name. However, Seijuurou did not seem to have heard him enter and had looked at him with surprise. Considering the fact that he is usually keenly aware of everything around him, the surprise had showed just how distracted his charge had been.

 

Kazehiko Kazue had decided to lead his master out of the room, for he knew the boy needed a break. The red-haired child had been pliant up until when they were out of the room.

 

Young Master Seijuurou tried to protest, turning back to look through the not-fully-closed door where Tetsuya-san is. He moved to block his master's view but the boy was so distressed he even clutched onto his uniform to beg him, said master's eyes were so loss and distressed.

 

He had known Young Master Seijuurou since he was a foetus in Lady Shiori’s womb and had served him since he was an infant.

 

He had known every quirks and behaviours that is Akashi Seijuurou. Knew the best method to get him to calm down, knew exactly when he is stressed, and how to get him to relax.

 

In all his seventeen years of serving the young master, he had only seen him broke down once, and that was in elementary school when Lady Shiori had passed away.

 

This lost and confused boy in his arms right now was so much like the broken little boy back in the past that his heart ached to see his strong hearted master reduced to such a state.

 

And so, he handled the situation in a way that only he knew how. He gently held his master’s face into his palm and bend his body a little so that his master won't had to strain his neck too much. Tilting the boy's head so that they were making eye contact, he spoke out what he was going to do in a slow, calming tone. “Young master, listen to my voice. Take deep breath, that's right, now breathe out and stay calm…”

 

He rubbed his master's cheeks with the pad of his thumb, hoping that the extra stimulus could bring his master’s mind back to the present.

 

It seemed to have worked, for the grip on his uniform had weakened. And so, with a small nod from the other, he slowly removed the hand that was clutching his uniform and led his charge to the guest room that his master would be using for the time being.

 

After sitting his young master on the bed, he took in the small and defeated form of his master. Taking the crestfallen face into his hands again, he murmured that he would be back. After all, he needed to calm down Tetsuya-san too.

 

Closing the door to the room that was occupied by his charge of seventeen years, he heaved a small sigh.

 

Now then, how should he go about approaching the terrified teal?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turns out to be slightly more personal than I expected.
> 
> The chapter before this was a reflection of how when you do things with the best of intentions, it backfires.  
> This chapter is about how sometimes when you try to fix things, it only made it worse to the point you break.
> 
> Life is evil. At least for some people.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated! It helps take my mind off stuff...


	20. Chapter 20: Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “In that case, why would you knowing that he is human now makes things any different?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of blowjobs, abuse and OOC-ness.

**Chapter Twenty: Reunion**

 

It had been about four days since Akashi’s mini breakdown. He hadn’t spoken to Tetsuya much since, for the boy refused to face Akashi. When he entered the room, Tetsuya ceased making eye contact with him. He would turn his head in the other direction and refused to answer any questions that Akash had asked. He had hidden it very well, but Akashi can tell that the boy was still afraid and wary of him, seeing as he tensed and clutched onto Nigou every time Akashi entered the bedroom. Currently now, Akashi is using one of the guest room as Tetsuya was occupying his bedroom.

 

Tetsuya’s rejection hurts, Akashi had realised. He had never noticed how attached he was to the other until Tetsuya had rejected him, and it wounded him greatly. Perhaps this is what everyone meant by him ‘changing’? Regardless, the rejection had affected him more than he would like to admit, and Akashi found himself drowning in books and revisions every minute; every second, just to keep his mind occupied from the mistake he had made with Tetsuya. He had apologised, of course. But since Tetsuya had refused to respond to anything that Akashi had said and asked, the redhead could only assume that the boy was still upset with him. Ah, there he goes, his mind wandering again.

 

“Young Master Seijuurou,” His head butler repeated his request for the third time, snapping him out of his thoughts. “You should take a break, you have been working since morning.”

 

“I am fine, I am not tired.” Was the simple reply the butler received.

 

“Seijuurou-sama, you know what stress and insufficient rest would do to your body, please be mindful of them, at least.” He pleaded.

 

Akashi sighed. “Very well, I will take a break after I am done with this chapter.”

 

“I will bring you a new bowl of tofu soup,” The head butler bowed before removing the untouched, cold tofu soup from the table and leaving the room.

 

Akashi Seijuurou had inherited Lady Shiori’s poor health. Though, unlike the Lady, Young Master Seijuurou’s health only weakens with insufficient rest. Seeing how stubborn the boy is, he is worried that the Young Master would one day collapse as a result of pushing himself too hard.

 

Speaking of his charge, Tetsuya-san isn’t doing any better either. He had never walked out of the room since four days ago, and had only eaten the bear minimum to sate his hunger. If it was the Young Master who had bought him food, he would refuse to touch any of it.

 

The head butler sighed again. He can’t wait for things to get back to normal, for both boys to be talking again. Even the household is a little tensed as a result of the boy’s conflict. He hoped for the boys to make up soon.

 

__________

 

Four days ago, shortly after Master… Juurou had left with his butler, said butler had entered his room about ten minutes later. The butler had said nothing, done nothing. He merely sat on the bed by his feet and waited for him to stop crying. When his tears finally stopped, the butler’s words and actions were simple: a gentle pat on the head followed by a ‘No one would make you do things that you don’t want to do, Tetsuya-san’, and then he was arranged to lie on the bed and was advised to rest.

 

Naturally, Tetsuya couldn’t sleep. He kept tossing and turning, his mind whirling through the situation again and again in a never ending loop.

 

From then till now, all he could think about was how Master Juurou had gotten angry at him. He thought of Juurou’s words, and part of him wanted to trust Juurou, wanted the old, kind Juurou back, but the other part of him, no doubt the enslaved part of him, insisted that Juurou was just doing all of that to make him let his guard down. The conflicting thoughts were confusing him.

 

He could not face Juurou at all; didn’t know how he was supposed to respond. When Juurou tried to look at him in the eye, Tetsuya found himself looking away. As usual, that suspicious half kept telling him that he would be punished for looking at Juurou in the eyes, and Tetsuya found himself unable to go against the voice in his head.

 

When Juurou spoke to him, Tetsuya found himself thinking that Juurou would get angry if he said a word, that Juurou would lose patience with him, or that his words doesn’t matter. And so, he was unable to get any words out of his mouth.

 

When Juurou brought him food, Tetsuya couldn’t touch it, for the voice in his head kept telling him that if he touched the food bought in by Juurou, Juurou would make him pay for it in the future. Tetsuya wanted to trust Juurou, but for some reason, he felt that the other voice in his head made sense too, and so in the end, he couldn’t do anything.

 

Tetsuya sighed and covered himself with the comforter. Should he put his trust into Juurou?

 

__________

 

Akashi covered his textbooks and stood up to stretch. He was putting them away when the butler returned with a warm bowl of tofu soup and placed it in front of him. Usually, the smell of tofu soup would make his mouth water, but at the moment, he felt nothing but nausea when he looked at the food in front of him. He hadn’t had much appetite lately. Though, for the sake of not making his butler worry, Akashi gulped down the soup, not bothering to savour the flavour like he would had done.

 

He glanced at his phone when it buzzed with an incoming call. Seeing a number he was unfamiliar with, Akashi put down the one-quarter-finished bowl of soup and signalled that he didn’t want it anymore before answering the call.

 

“Yes? Yes, speaking. Ah yes, understood. Yes...”

 

__________

 

The search for them hadn’t been easy. Akashi had to deploy his private investigators for it and even so, it took them two days to track one of them down. The other two were much easier to find, since they maintained contact with the first. Akashi suppose years of suffering together had formed a special kind of bond between them, not that the mayor was deserving of any praises for ‘helping’ the bond to form.

 

By the fifth day, Akashi managed to have them all gathered in his household for an important decision that they have the rights to make.

 

It was almost amazing how months apart can change a person, Akashi mused.

 

The last time he had seen those three ladies were when they were just freed from their life in slavery -- the very day he had the mayor arrested. That was more than six months ago, and each and every one of them had transformed from a submissive and wary slave to a confident and capable women of their rights.

 

The eldest, the one who was in her thirties, Chie-san, was forced into slavery after having her family members beaten to death by the yakuza for owing debts. She was around eighteen years old then, and the mayor had felt that she was a beauty and had decided to spare her life and have her serve him as a sexual slave instead. She is currently working as a nurse and volunteered at an orphanage during her free time shortly after adjusting back to normal life. She teaches the orphans how to take care and fend for themselves -- a skill vital to them once they reached the age where the orphanage can no longer care for them.

 

Hino, a lady in her late twenties had found a lover who was able to look beyond her former status of a slave and is now in a caring and loving relationship. She was kidnapped during her early teens and was bought by the mayor at an auction house. She is currently working as a caretaker in a kindergarten, where she met her boyfriend and is now in a steady relationship.

 

Kisako, like Hino, was kidnapped and sold into slavery when she was still a grade school student. She was in her early twenties when she was freed by Akashi, and had managed to find her family before her kidnapping. Her parents are graphic designers, and she is currently learning from her parents to continue her dream of becoming an animator. Though, due to her kidnappings at a young age, she is attending therapy sessions to get over her trauma.

 

Akashi is very proud of who they had become. Their route to recovery wasn’t easy, but each and everyone of them were strong-willed and courageous enough to strive to lead a normal life, their determination carrying them to this point.

 

“I apologise for calling you all over on such a short notice...” Akashi trailed off as he looked at them in the eyes -- no longer having their eyes cast down like in the past. “...I received a call from the state that the former mayor, who is currently serving life sentence in prison, has lost the rights over his possessions, and the state had decided to leave his possessions to the Akashi family. However, both my father and I feel that as previous occupants of the mansion, you should have the rights to decide what to do with the mansion, which is the reason why I have called all of you here.”

 

The three former slaves looked at each other uneasily. From the corner of his eyes, Akashi saw Kisae and Hino holding their own arms and looking uncomfortable. Well, he wouldn’t blame them. Neither he nor his father wanted that filthy man’s possessions, let alone those who had suffered under the disgusting man. Having his possessions under your name is like a constant reminder of your past, and no one wants to be reminded of it.

 

“Um… Akashi-sama...” Chie-san started.

 

“--Just Seijuurou is fine, you are all older than me.”

 

“Then… Seijuurou-san, what happens if we decide to let the state handle that property…?”

 

Akashi looked up at the ceiling and thought for a while. “...I believe the state would demolish the building and sell the land away. Naturally, part of the profits would go to you...”

 

__________

 

Tetsuya huddled on the corner of the king-sized bed, hugging his knees with Nigou sandwiched between him.

 

He knew there are other people in the house, outside his door. He could hear the voices -- voices that were neither Kiss nor Ahone nor Mi-do-ma. Tetsuya wondered if they were Juurou’s other friends whom he had called over to ‘play’ with him.

 

He just hoped that they wouldn’t beat him up. He is willing to serve them and act like a dog or suck on them down _there_. He will do anything if to avoid a beating.

 

The teal tensed when he heard a knock on his door. Squeezing Nigou tightly and hiding his face in its fur, Tetsuya tried to make himself as small as possible.

 

“Tetsuya?” An inquisitive tone sounded.

 

__________

 

“Oh, if Seijuurou-san don’t mind me asking, where is the boy now?”

 

Akashi looked at Hino, wondering as to how to form a reply. “Tetsuya is in this mansion.” He carefully replied.

 

“Tetsuya?” Kisae questioned.

 

“That’s the name of the teal haired boy,” Akashi smiled.

 

“That’s great,” Chie smiled to herself, knowing that the kid had a proper name now. “Tetsuya is a beautiful name. So, how is he doing now?”

 

“He… was doing fine.” Akashi looked up at the ceiling.

 

“...was?” Chie replied, looking worried.

 

Akashi sighed and confessed about what had happened. Maybe they could advise him on how to help Tetsuya.

 

“Can we see him?” Hino asked. “It’s been a long while!”

 

“Ah, if he doesn’t mind the company, sure. He is in the room with my name on it.” Akashi instructed. “If you will excuse me, I will be making a call to the state minister.” He said before he left.

 

It took them a while to find the room Akashi had mentioned. But when they did, Kisako eagerly knocked onto the door and twisted the knob open.

 

“Tetsuya-kun?” Chie said.

 

__________

 

The boy jerked a little at that. That voice sounded so familiar; one that he hadn’t heard in a long time.

 

Slowly and warily, the boy lifted his head from the plush toy to look at his visitors. His eyes widened in shock when it landed of the three figures he thought he would never see again.

 

“Hello Tetsuya-kun! How have you been?” Chie smiled as she entered the room and walked towards the little teal boy, Hino and Kisako following behind.

 

The boy gingerly reached out a hand to poke at Chie, wondering if she was real or a hallucination. The other two giggled at the adorable action.

 

The four former slave sat around each other, talking and chatting about their life after slavery. Hino talked about her boyfriend, about how they met, how he had found out about her past from the marks around her neck. Tetsuya instinctive touched the mark around his neck too -- a marked formed by the chains that were tightly coiled around his neck -- a permanent reminder of the cruel past he had had.

 

Chie shared about her job as a nurse, the type of people she had met, and the orphanage she helped at. She talked about the kids in the orphanage, how they were bright and innocent and so full of life. She explained about what she had taught the kids, and how those kids reminded her of Tetsuya. The boy smiled at that. Chie had always been somewhat like a mother figure to them while the Mayor had been away. Always caring and concerned and putting herself after the three.

 

Kisako talked about her family. She explained about how she tried to return to her home city only to find out that her family had moved away. She had stayed at an old neighbour’s house after that, while said neighbour tried to dial for her family about her being found. She recalled being so nervous and excited the day before meeting her parents that she could hardly sleep. She described about the relief she had when her parents accepted her, and the tears that the entire family shed upon seeing her. She talked about what she is doing now, about her animations and the therapy she attended.

 

Throughout all the talks, Tetsuya listened attentively, absorbing everything like a sponge. He found that though there were some things that he does not fully understand, he understood majority of what was said. He was eager to know about the things they had seen, and was glad that they had had better lives instead of having to serve under another master like him.

 

Wait...something isn’t right.

 

“Why here?!” Tetsuya suddenly exclaimed. The other three seemed alarmed by his sudden outburst. “Juurou capture you too? Juurou make you slaves too?”

 

“Tetsuya-kun, please, calm down.” Chie placid the boy with her two palms facing him. “Seijuurou-san invited us here.”

 

“It's trap! It's trap! Go, go!” The teal boy desperately pushed at Chie, turning his head to beg at the other two to obey.

 

Hino calming took Tetsuya’s pushing hands into her warm ones. “Tetsuya-kun, Seijuurou-san isn't forcing us into anything. He merely invited us to talk about something. And then we had wanted to see how you were doing.”

 

“Do you truly believed that Seijuurou-san would treat you like how Master did?” Kisako said, patting the boy’s spiky hair down.

 

Tetsuya looked up at Kisako before stubbornly looking back down with a pout. _Why don't they understand?!_

 

“On the contrary, Tetsuya-kun, I believe Seijuurou-san cares about you. Deeply.” Chie said, looking at the redhead by the door with a smile on her face. She tilted her head to the side, silently asking if he would like to come in and talk to the boy. Akashi, understanding her thoughts, shook his head in a negative. He had come to check on Tetsuya after having heard his cries, but seeing as Tetsuya is in safe hands, he would better not join in.

 

Chie shook her head fondly. _Those two stubborn boys._

 

“But Juurou is human. Human are evil. Human wants things.”

 

“Well then, I am human too. And so are you and Hino-kun and Kisako-kun. Are you saying that we are all evil?”

 

Tetsuya jerked at that. That's not what he meant! As in, the three ladies in front of him are not bad people. And Juurou hadn't done anything to him yet, but Juurou brought him to Masters place! Juurou wants him to remember his place! Juurou is Master, and Master is Juurou! But Juurou is not Master, and-- and!

 

“Tetsuya-kun!” Chie’s firm but kind voice sounded. The boy snapped out of his thoughts only to realise that he was hyperventilating.

 

“Tetsuya-kun, Seijuurou-san had told me what happened. He did it because he wants you to know that this is real, everything is real. He needs you to know that he is no angel but a human just like you and me. That's it. No ulterior motives.” Hino said.

 

Tetsuya continued looking down, unconvinced.

 

“Look, Tetsuya. ‘Juurou’ was nice to you, right?”

 

At Tetsuya’s nod, Chie continued. “That was before you realised he was human. And that was when he thought you saw him as human.

 

“In that case, why would you knowing that he is human now makes things any different?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried committing suicide yesterday by overdosing on a lot of different medications.  
> It obviously didn't go well since I am still here updating the story... except that now I a very drowsy, kept losing balance and has slight coordination problems.
> 
> Comments are greatly appreciated.  
> I takes my mind off all the bad voices.  
> Thanks for reading.


	21. Chapter 21: Recount

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tetsuya trembled as Juurou’s hands caressed his inner thighs before pulling his pants down.
> 
> “You are mine.”
> 
> The teal shut his eyes tight as the action reminded him so much of the days back in the punishment room, where Master would touch him there before intense pain boomed in his bottom. As if on cue, pain spread at that part and Tetsuya couldn’t hold back a scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: OOCness

**Chapter Twenty-One: Recount**

 

_Juurou walked into his room one day. Tetsuya felt himself filled with excitement. It’s been so long while since he had seen Juurou. He wanted to cuddle and snuggle with him -- he missed the close contact and yearned for it greatly._

 

_However, he felt his excitement simmered into fear when he realised that Juurou felt different. His entire posture seemed tensed and aggressive, and Tetsuya wondered if it is because he is upset at him. He gasped when Juurou turned to face him, a sinister smile spread across his face and Juurou’s eyes bore into his soul -- one red, one gold._

 

_“Juu...rou…?”_

 

_Juurou wordlessly approached him and Tetsuya scrambled back until he hit the headboard, anywhere to get as far away as possible from the strange Juurou as possible._

 

_The redhead however, continued to approach the terrified boy until he hovered over the him, trapping the teal boy between his two arms. “Tetsuya...”_

 

_Tetsuya trembled as Juurou’s hands caressed his inner thighs before pulling his pants down._

_“You are mine.”_

_The teal shut his eyes tight as the action reminded him so much of the days back in the punishment room, where Master would touch him there before intense pain boomed in his bottom. As if on cue, pain spread at that part and Tetsuya couldn’t hold back a scream._

 

He shot out of bed, looking around to see that it was midday. No scary Juurou, no Master, no punishment room. Just him, in Juurou’s room, covered in sweat. Seeing Nigou lying unsuspectingly beside him, Tetsuya picked it up to cuddle it. He squeezed his butthole, sighing in relief when there wasn’t any pain.

 

‘ _Why would you knowing that he is human now makes things any different?_ ’

 

The words Chie had said rang in his head repeatedly since their reunion. She had repeatedly told Tetsuya that it seemed very obvious to her that Akashi truly cared about him. Tetsuya hadn’t seen Juurou for weeks, but from what Hino had told him, it seemed that Juurou had looked stressed with bags under his eyes, and their guess was that it was because of their strained relationship.

 

They had tried telling the boy that the fact that Akashi is looking stressed and losing sleep because of this showed that Tetsuya means something to him. Or, at the very least, Akashi has a lot more compassion compared to their former Master, who did not bat an eyelid at the slaves he mistreated. If Tetsuya refused to see Akashi as anything else other than a new Master, they wanted him to at least know that Akashi isn’t that bad a master.

 

In truth, Tetsuya probably knew, somewhere deep inside, that Juurou doesn’t really see him as a slave. But the part of him, the voice inside his head, the one wary of the abuse, kept telling him again and again to be careful. The teal trusted his comrades a lot, so if they feel that Juurou is to be trusted, Tetsuya will try to fight against that voice. But then something is still stopping him.

 

Because, if Juurou isn’t interest in getting people to serve him, then why are the people in the household calling him ‘Master’?

 

“Tetsuya-san?” There was a gentle knock on his door and Tetsuya tensed. The butler, Kazue, poked his head in. “I heard a scream. Is everything alright?”

 

Tetsuya looked up at the butler before bringing his knees up and hugging it against his chest. Knowing his mannerism, Kazue closed the door before heading towards Tetsuya noisily, making his movement known to the other. He settled himself beside Tetsuya, throwing a shoulder over to the boy to hold him gently. Tetsuya turned his body slightly towards the butler, hiding his face against the man’s side.

 

“Had a dream...” The boy finally mumbled after what seemed like an eternity.

 

“Oh? Care to tell me about it?”

 

The butler listened intently as Tetsuya narrated his dream, giving him a gentle pat on the arm when the boy tensed up and trembled. The boy was unable to retell the entire situation properly, for he still lacked the words and vocabulary to properly describe the situation, but Kazue understood some parts and easily pieced two-to-two together.

 

“I see. That sounds scary, doesn’t it?” He responded when the boy finished his narration. Though the teal boy spoke in choppy sentences, but he understood the main points. He looked down to see the boy silently fiddling with the flaps of the pockets on his butler attire. “But Tetsuya-san, did you truly think that Young Master Seijuurou would do something like that?”

 

The fiddling stopped as Tetsuya thought hard about it. “...Don’t want to...” He finally replied.

 

“Hm… Give me a moment,” Kazue ruffled the soft teal locks before excusing himself. Tetsuya looked on as the butler walked out of the room, though it didn’t take long before he returned with a small book in hand.

 

“Do you know what a diary is, Tetsuya-san?”

 

Tetsuya looked up to see Kazue wearing a kind and patient smile. One similar to what Juurou would always wear. Tetsuya mentally shook his head to chase that memory out. “...No...”

 

“A diary is a book of entries that contains the writers most private thoughts. This is a diary of Young Master Seijuurou.” He said, passing the book to Tetsuya.

 

Tetsuya held the book gently. _A book that contains Juurou’s thoughts…_

 

“What about Juurou?!” Tetsuya suddenly looked at the butler in panic.

 

Kazue immediately placed a gentle palm against his shoulder. “Young Master is currently in school taking his exams. He won’t be back until later in the evening.” He assured. He then squatted by the bed so that he is at eye level with the other. “I will be back later to return this book before Young Master comes back, so it will be our little secret, okay?” He said with a wink.

 

__________

 

**It all started with me investigating the cause of the village’s poverty. When I learnt that the Mayor was involved in human trafficking and drugs, I had immediately sent for further investigations. Within a month and few weeks later, I had all the information I needed to bring the issue up to the state court and arrest the disgusting man.**

**On the day of the arrest, I burnt the slavery form right in front of the three slaves. I offered them money and sent a man to help them fit back into society. I thought my part of the job was complete, until Chie-san told me that there was one more slave among them.**

**He was hidden in a basement in the Master Bedroom. The boy was emaciated. He looked at me as if I was a phantom. My movement seemed to break his vision, and he was absolutely terrified and wary. He scrambled away with every step that I took towards him. When I had him cornered, he flinched and protected his head with that skinny arms of his. He probably thought that I was going to hit him. That probably explained why he looked so shocked when I freed him from the lock around his neck.**

 

Tetsuya might not be able to read everything that is written in the book, but he understood enough to know that it was referring to his first meeting with Juurou. At that moment, he had truly believed that he had died and that Juurou was sent to retrieve him.

 

**His name is Tetsuya. I only realised it after I found his slavery forms. I wonder if he knew of his name.**

 

**///**

 

**I was revising on my work when Tetsuya woke up. Apparently, he tried to move around, for the sound made from his falling had alerted me. When I lifted him – he weighed almost nothing – he lifted a finger to poke at my cheeks. It was an incredibly cute and innocent gesture. I wonder if he was testing to see if I was real.**

 

**///**

 

**I tried giving Tetsuya some food just now. He stared at me for a long time before finally attempted to eat. He brought his face close to the bowl before nibbling a little of the rice and then gauging my reactions again. I wonder if he had been beaten from eating before. He probably had, seeing the way he is acting. His actions after that had shocked me completely. He grabbed handful of rice and stuffed them into his mouth. He ate as if he would never ever eat again. I tried to stop him, because if he hadn’t eaten for a long time, gobbling his food up now would only cause him to vomit. I tried to warn him, but apparently, he had thought that I would punish him for eating. He jumped from the chair and backed away until he hit the cupboards. I tried to calm him down, but before I managed to do so, he vomited everything all over the floor. He immediately apologised and cup his vomit and brought it back to his mouth. I had never seen anything more disgusting than that. I hate that major for lowering a human to such extend.**

 

**I gave him a second round of food when he had calmed down. This time, it’s soft food – chicken porridge. He seemed to enjoy it a lot, if his insistent ‘ah’ is anything to go by.**

 

Tetsuya remembered that moment vividly. It was the first time he had eaten such smooth, warm food. He didn’t know how to use a spoon then, so Juurou fed him bit by bit. To think Juurou actually remembered…

 

**Tetsuya had apologised before. Perhaps he knew some words from his time in slavery. I wonder if he has a preference for what he wants to be called.**

 

**///**

 

**I tried asking him what he would like to be called, and he told me Fuck Toy. That damn Mayor must have called him that for him to think that it was his name.**

 

**I introduced the name ‘Tetsuya’ to him. He seemed very eager to learn about it. He also appeared to know how to intone his words. He knows to drag his words up when asking a question. That’s something to work with I guess. I taught him that my name is Seijuurou. He seemed to have a hard time pronouncing it all at once. He called me ‘Juurou’ in the end, and wouldn’t stop chanting ‘Tetsuya’ and ‘Juurou’ wherever he went.**

 

**///**

 

**I tried giving him a shower today. He was still singing our names but stopped suddenly as I pulled his pants down. I looked up to see that his eyes were filled with fear. As I called out to him, he suddenly collapsed and spread his legs open. I think Tetsuya thought that I would rape him. I held him much like how Kazue would hold me when I was a lot younger. I patiently held him against me until he got out of his stupor. I washed him very slowly. Whenever he tensed, I stopped and held him against my chest while I sang some lullabies that I recalled you and Kazue would sing to me. That seemed to calm him down.**

 

**///**

 

**Tetsuya seemed to find comfort in being near me. I woke up to something kicking my bed. I looked down to see it was Tetsuya, lost in his dreams **–** he appeared to be having a nightmare. I immediately woke him up. Tetsuya seemed startled and started to cry silently. Apparently, he had been beaten to even keep his cries silent. I am hating that Mayor more and more. When I started humming the lullaby, Tetsuya immediately fell silent. I think there is hope. Tetsuya will get better.**

 

**///**

 

**I felt this sense of pride whenever Tetsuya achieved something or made the slightest improvement in anything that he does. I wonder if that is a parental instinct? Was this how you felt as you watch me grow from infancy?**

 

The more Tetsuya read, the more he realised that Juurou remembered everything that he himself remembered. He read about how he was shocked when he found him in the car after his basketball match. Juurou also wrote about the day he had given him his drawing. His very first drawing of ‘Juurou’ was placed between its pages, and Tetsuya found himself smiling when he took that drawing into his hand. At the bottom of the drawing was Juurou’s neat handwriting: ‘Tetsuya’s first drawing of me’.

 

Juurou also wrote about the day he taught him how to write. He mentioned about him writing on his important documents, and Tetsuya felt himself filled with guilt reading that. He hadn’t thought that he was writing on Juurou’s papers. He continued reading on, and the passage began explaining about Juurou erasing Tetsuya’s words away up until the bottom part where Juurou changed his mind and rewrote the whole document instead. No matter how many times Tetsuya reread that passage, he could not detect any annoyance or anger from it -- only amusement. He couldn’t understand why Juurou wouldn’t just erase his writings away. Surely it is a lot easier than rewriting?

 

Tetsuya only found out the answer in the next page, and it had him tearing up.

 

The next page was the folded piece of that important document, and at the bottom of that document was:

 

 

 

In Tetsuya’s handwriting, ‘Tetsuya likes Juurou’.

 

Wiping away his tears, Tetsuya carefully placed the document back into its spot and continued reading.

 

**Tetsuya stole some chicken from the kitchen today. He probably had some more hidden somewhere for when he gets hungry and had nothing to eat. He broke down when he saw me in the bathroom with a maid holding his goods. I ordered the maid to go while I tried to calm him. Every time I tried to approach him, Tetsuya scurried away from me. It was like the repeat of when we first met. I knew it would take a while before Tetsuya would know that I won’t do anything to him, so I sat down on the tiles and told him to come to me when he was ready.**

**It was a very delicate moment. I know the slightest movement I made would send him back to square one, so I conditioned myself to sit very still. It was not easy, but it was manageable thanks to the trainings I had receive. Each time I saw him sob and cry, my hands twitched and I wanted so badly to get to him and calm him. But I know if I do that, I would send Tetsuya into hysterics. I had no choice but to wait for him to come to me.**

 

Tetsuya remembered that scene too. After he had calmed down a little, he had looked at Juurou. He wanted Juurou’s comfort, he wanted to be embraced by Juurou, be engulfed by his smell and have Juurou tell him that everything will be fine. He remembered thinking that since he was already so broken, a few more bruises won’t hurt, and so he jumped into Juurou’s embrace. Juurou didn’t hit him at all.

 

**Midorima saw Tetsuya today. It was pretty amusing to see him get ticked every time Tetsuya calls him ‘Mini Mi-do-ma’.**

**Tetsuya appeared to have an issue with broken glasses. He had a panic attack when he accidently broke a bowl. The case was similar to the stolen chicken incident, except that this time, I didn’t wait for him to calm down on his own – I couldn’t. Tetsuya was surrounded by danger hazard. The longer I take to act, the more likely he would hurt himself, and so I jumped in to scoop him out of danger. His screech of pure terror then was something that I can never forget.**

 

**///**

 

**Tetsuya had a fever today. Psychogenic fever, according to Doctor Midorima. His trauma with the broken glass must have triggered it.**

 

**///**

 

**Father discovered Tetsuya today. I almost had a heart attack when I first realised it. I came back from a jog only to see Father carrying Tetsuya. I thought he was going to throw him out of the house. I tried to take Tetsuya from Father, but he must have mistook Father for me, for he was stubborn and had refused to let go. I am just glad that Father did not force me to make Tetsuya go away.**

 

Tetsuya frowned. He didn’t remember seeing Juurou’s father. Could it be that the Juurou-like person he saw then was not Juurou?

 

**The last few days had been exceptionally stressful. Tetsuya’s fever rose so high I couldn't take my eyes off him. I gave him some melatonin despite knowing the risks. I can't have him losing anymore sleep, it would only cause more harm than good.**

**Since melatonin would further lower his vital signs, I stayed up to monitor them every five minutes – now that I think about it, every five minutes seemed a bit too much. Few hours later, it became every thirty minutes. When Tetsuya’s fever finally fell, I checked every two hours before finally allowing myself to sleep at six in the morning. I woke up in the afternoon to Tetsuya sucking on my hair.**

 

He winced slightly when he read that entry. He hadn’t known that Juurou stayed up late all for him. Knowing that somehow makes him feel warm inside.

 

The rest of the entry contains Juurou’s thoughts about Kiss’ visit, the earthquake, his strong desire to find a friend, the cockroach in his hand and even about Ahone’s visit.

 

**Tetsuya came to me with a book he got from Kise today. He showed me an image of angel and told me that it was ‘Juurou’. I thought he was joking, so I smiled and flipped it to the human image. However, Tetsuya kept insisting that I am the ‘angel’. That’s when I realised that he had not been seeing all this as ‘real life’. The most logical way to prove to him is to bring him back to where I first found him. After all, if ‘heaven’ contains the place that you fear the most, then it must be reality, right?**

 

**///**

 

**I made a mistake. Tetsuya fainted shortly after I brought him there. He woke up a while ago and is absolutely afraid of me now. I had no idea seeing him so afraid of me and hearing him call me ‘Master’ would hurt so badly.**

 

**///**

 

**Tetsuya refused to touch any food I gave him today. He probably thinks that I had poisoned it, or would expect him to repay me for giving him food.**

 

**///**

 

**I received news about the mansion this morning. I had called Chie-san, Hino-san and Kisako-san here to talk about it. They wanted to see Tetsuya after that. It hurts pretty badly to know that I am the only one Tetsuya refuses to see.**

 

**///**

 

**If there is a way to reverse time, I would very much like to do it. Is there a better way to break the news to him?**

 

**///**

 

**Tetsuya hadn’t walk out of his room since that incident. It can’t be healthy for him especially since his body is still recovering. I still have a room in the Rakuzan dorm. Maybe I should move there again.**

 

**///**

 

**I wonder if Tetsuya would forgive me tomorrow.**

 

That was the last of the entry, and all he could detect was Juurou's self-hate for making him sad.

 

_Juurou...blamed himself for making Tetsuya scared of him..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akashi truly cares about Tetsuya, huh?  
> Kudos for those to knows who the 'you' in Akashi's diary refers to.
> 
> I did not really check through this chapter, so please do inform me if you spot any errors whatsoever. Akashi's diary contents were meant to be in a different font, but apparently I can't do that in Archive.
> 
> This entire week had been a torture. I couldn't help but feel extreme disappointment and sadness for the failed attempt, though I didn't try again.  
> I had been alive, but I hadn't been living. Everything is so grey.
> 
> Oh, also, I apologise for causing so much worries last week. Um... back then, I had a strong urge to confide in someone about my failed attempt, so I did so here. Sorry, for causing unnecessary concern. And, thank you for everyone who had offered me your email addresses for a chat. It's a public comment area and all your messages can be seen by everyone, but despite so, you all decided to share them with me knowing the risks or strangers knowing your email address etc. So thank you very much. However, I am afraid I won't be taking up on your offers.
> 
> Ah and please do look forward to next week's update. I had shown some person spoilers for next week's chapter and had gotten interesting responses.
> 
> Thank you for all your comments, they are really great in chasing away the voices and unwanted thoughts.


	22. Chapter 22: Butlers, Maids and Slaves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kazue felt his heart clenched painfully at the sight before him. His charge’s eyes were red and puffy, and there were wet trails down his cheeks that were definitely tears. The boy was jerking from time to time from the hiccups that wracked his entire body, his face pale from blood loss and eyes lifeless and lack focus.
> 
> Is this what his ‘supervision’ had led to?
> 
> \-----------------------------------
> 
> Tetsuya doesn't understand. Why did Kazu serve Juurou? If Juurou truly doesn't want him as a slave, then why does Juurou have Kazu and the maids? Why does Kazu call Juurou 'Master'?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: OOCness, may contain triggers, mentions of self-harm and blood

**Chapter Twenty-two: Butlers, Maids and Slaves**

 

Kazehiko Kazue is a loyal butler to Young Master Seijuurou. He would do anything within his power to make his Young Master happy. He would even go as far as to break the law if his master so wish. Of course, he would also do things without his master's knowledge or consent if he believed that it would help his master in the end. Like now, where he gave Tetsuya his master’s journal.

 

Of course, even though he believed his ‘lending’ of the journal to Tetsuya would help his Young Master, he would (likely) still get into trouble if said Master finds out, hence, he is currently on the way to retrieve the book before his Master’s return.

 

__________

 

Kazue first met Masaomi when he was eighteen years old. Having grown up in an abusive family filled with conflicts, arguments and unfairness, he finally had enough of it and ran out of the house when he was of age.

 

Living on the street were harder than he had expected. He was kicked out of his lodging as soon as he could not afford the rent. Within two months after his runaway, he was sleeping on benches and living on cheap rice and breads. Kazue was strolling in the garden looking for possible (but highly unlikely) unattended food baskets on an early Autumn afternoon when he saw Masaomi with a wallet in his hands. In a desperate need for money for food and lodgings, he decided to steal from the rich business man despite it being against his personal values.

 

Since it was unplanned, Kazue merely bumped into Masaomi and made use of the time before the man registered what had happened to take the wallet out of his hands and ran for his life. Naturally, it failed. Masaomi easily caught up to him and pinned him onto the ground. He tried to use what he had learned from martial arts to escape, but Masaomi was simply too strong for him.

 

“You look really young. Why are you ruining your future by being a thief?”

 

“Why do you care,” Kazue spat. “Just report me to the police. At least I will get a better life in there.”

 

“What about your parents?”

 

“I have a father who only care about his booze, and a mother who only cared about her husband and how people sees them. It’s been more than two months since I walked out of the house and there were no police reports or anything about me being missing. They won’t care if I am jailed.” The late teen huffed with annoyance.

 

“Masaomi?” A soft and gentle voice came from a distance. “What’s the matter?”

 

Kazue turned his head to see a beautiful lady with flowy shoulder-length hair walking towards them.

 

After a short explanation by the red-haired man about what had happened, the lady suggested something that caught both males off-guard.

 

“Are you interested in being a butler?”

 

__________

 

The training to be a butler was rigorous. Under the strict tutelage of the head butler serving Masaomi, there were a lot that Kazue had to correct, from his manner of speech to his body posture. His parents had never really taught him about manners and respect. In fact, the abusive household only strengthen his desire for rebellion, hence, correcting his old habits was extremely difficult.

 

However, the food and room that he was provided with was more luxurious than he had hoped for, and Shiori was kind enough to let a complete strange like him into the mansion. He had heard of cases where butlers and maids were mistreated in a household, but it doesn’t seem to be the case in the Akashi mansion. Their rights were respected. He had proper food and shelter, and so, as repayment for their kindness, he did his very best to learn all that he needed to be a good butler.

 

Before long, he had graduated from the head butler’s tutelage and had become a full-fledged butler. He started by serving Lady Shiori, and he did it to the best of his ability as gratitude for giving him a shelter and a job.

 

A year into his job, Lady Shiori became pregnant with a child. The couples were overjoyed to have an heir to take over the family business. Kazue had smiled as he watched the Lady tenderly touching and rubbing her bloated stomach with a peaceful and loving smile on her face. Some part of him ached to think that his parents probably had never looked at him that way.

 

Little infant Akashi Seijuurou was then born eight months later, a month earlier than the expected due date. Kazue stood by the door, ready to assist if required. He looked over at the Lady, her face filled with love and affection as she cradled the crying infant towards her, and smiled even brighter as the infant stopped crying upon receiving his mother’s touch. He then looked over at Master Masaomi, and found himself aching a little when his master’s face was stern and devoid of emotions. He could only imagine the amount of pressure and stress that would be placed on the heir in the future.

 

Lady Shiori’s health slowly weakened after the little child’s birth. She began to fall sick easily and her immune system were even more frail than usual. The doctors had said that the birth of Little Seijuurou had severely weakened her body, leading to her already frail body becoming even weaker, and Kazue couldn’t help but to be angry at the little boy for ruining the health of his saviour.

 

Still, Kazue continued to serve both the Lady and her child. Prior to the birth of Seijuurou, Lady Shiori would often talk to him and asked him about his job and how he was feeling. It had made Kazue felt needed, included and loved. However, after the birth of the blasted child, Lady Shiori would either focus all her attention on the child or be lying on the bed fighting against her illness. Kazue had never been more jealous of the former.

 

Eventually, Seijuurou grew up into a toddler, more matured than his actual age, and Lady Shiori couldn’t be anymore prouder. However, despite being at such tender age, little Seijuurou was taking tuition – piano lessons, violin lessons, reading lessons among others.

 

Kazue couldn’t forget about the face little Seijuurou made when he was first introduced to his life-long best friend, Yukimaru. Lady Shiori had carried the little toddler to the stables and the child’s eye brightened up upon seeing the little white foal. The Lady carefully placed the toddler on the back of the snow-white pony, and the boy’s giggles mixed with his mother’s laughter was melody to his ears.

 

Kazue stood by the side as he watched the scene with a tender smile. Lady Shiori had always enjoyed basketball. She had introduced the game to her child and watched as the child made his first slightly clumsy and slow dribble, and laughed and clapped proudly as he made his first goal. Kazue eventually warmed up to the little heir.

 

As the heir grew older, Lady Shiori’s health also got weaker to the point she was often bedridden. Kazue was then assigned to be Seijuurou’s personal butler as Lady Shiori was, more often than not, in the care of the doctor.

 

Despite his mother’s failing health, Seijuurou seemed completely unaffected. He continued all his lessons flawlessly, returned home with nothing less than a full mark or a gold medal. He continued to wear a polite smile on his face, continued to practice basketball and take up leadership roles. Kazue found himself loathing the heir and his normal behaviour and unaffected attitude. Doesn’t he know that he was at fault for his mother’s health? However, as the faithful butler that he is, he kept his opinions to himself.

 

And then came that very day where the Lady passed on. Part of Kazue was relieved for the Lady, for her illness had sometimes brought her pain. The other part of him was upset; of the death of his saviour, and anger; at the very person that caused her suffering and death – the heir.

 

On the day of her funeral, dressed in black as with everyone, Kazue stood behind the remaining two members of the Akashi family, his head turned down in a solemn, mourning gesture. From the edge of his vision, he saw the Akashi Master tugging onto the heir and telling him, “No tears, you hear me? An Akashi don’t shed tears. Don’t embarrass me.” and the heir responded with an emotionless “Yes, Father.” Kazue secretly glared at the boy and scoffed to himself. Only a heartless person would not cry on the funeral of their loved one.

 

Throughout the ceremony, Kazue, along with several other household members shed a few tears as they mourned for the death of a wonderful and kind-hearted lady. The two Akashi males, however, did not have a single wet eye. Akashi Seijuurou merely looked at the photo frame of his smiling mother, his face filled with confusion. Kazue felt rage bubbled within him as he watched the heir went through the entire ceremony without any emotion on his face. He raged over the fact that the Lady had lost her life in order to give birth to an emotionless, robotic child who showed absolutely no remorse for killing his own mother. Kazue hated that he had to serve the very person that took the life of his saviour, and he did not work very hard to hide that emotion of his after the funeral.

 

Right after the ceremony ended, a heavy rain started to fall and the entire household vacated the garden to seek shelter. Master Masaomi lowered his head in respect for the last time before turning to look at his son. He nodded to himself, seeing as his son had not shed a single tear, and then turned into the mansion to prepare for the business trip he would be leaving for at night.

 

Rain drops continued to hit onto the remaining humans in the garden – Kazue, and his charge.

 

Kazue just stood there silently, thinking, and hoping that perhaps the rain would fall hard enough for the heir to catch a cold so bad, he would lose his life. He then shook his head at the ridiculousness of it all – he would lose his job if he does that, and so he stepped forward to gently pat his charge on the shoulder.

 

“Young Master,” He said.

 

Said young master jumped, and then turned to face his butler, his face still devoid of emotion.

 

“You should return to your room; you will catch a cold.”

 

The boy slowly nodded his head and went back into his room, silent and still without a hint of emotion. The butler felt rage and irritation consuming him again. A wonderful, cheerful and kind Lady lost her life for the sake of this emotionless, ungrateful and robotic child. How is this fair? He did not want to serve this stupid heir at all. And so, he left to change and did his other duties, uncaring of what the heir was up to.

 

Dinner was served earlier that night, for Master Masaomi had to catch a plane for his business. The butler couldn’t help but wonder how someone can still focus on his job right after the death of his beloved. The seat that was supposed to be occupied by Lady Shiori has now became Young Master Seijuurou’s. Yet the Young Master wasn’t present during dinner time.

 

As Master Masaomi grabbed his suitcase and left the household, Kazue returned to his room – he needed time to think the entire ordeal through.

 

It was around one in the morning when he received a knock on his door. He must had fallen asleep at some point; he couldn’t remember, but he stood up to open the door, only to come face to face with the cook and his worried face.

 

“Young Master Seijuurou has yet to come down for dinner at all. Could you go up to his room and check on him?”

 

Kazue sighed and nodded, because no matter how much he hated the heir, the boy was still his charge, his responsibility and his Master. Not bothering to change into his butler attire, Kazue went up to Seijuurou’s room in his casual, sleep attire, which consist of a simple T-shirt and sweat pants.

 

“Young Master,” he knocked on the door, not bothering to hide the slight hostility in his voice.

 

Hearing no reply, he knocked again.

 

Still no reply, Kazue turned the knob, only to realise that the door was never locked in the first place. “I am coming in,” he said impatiently.

 

The room was empty. Or so he thought. That is, until he saw a little tuff of red hair poking out from the other side of the bed. Kazue circled around the huge king size bed, only to be met with a scene of horror.

 

There, sitting on the floor with his head on his knees and covered by his arms was his Young Master Seijuurou. But that was not what horrified him.

 

No, it was the fact that in his hands held an industrial penknife – one with blade that looked like it was dipped in blood.

 

That, and that there was a large pool of blood covering the area where his charge sat. The blood had drenched the boy’s black shorts – goodness, he was still wearing the attire he wore during the funeral, and still slightly damp, from the looks of it – the colour almost unnoticeable due to the dark colour of the material. It could have looked like urine, except that it has the unmistakable and sickening smell of iron. Red also stained the polished marble floor, and Kazue immediately approached his charge.

 

“Young Master Seijuurou?” He softly questioned.

 

The Young Master jerked at his name being called, and raised his head to make eye contact with his butler.

 

Kazue felt his heart clenched painfully at the sight before him. His charge’s eyes were red and puffy, and there were wet trails down his cheeks that were definitely tears. The boy was jerking from time to time from the hiccups that wracked his entire body, his face pale from blood loss and eyes lifeless and lack focus.

 

Is this what his ‘supervision’ had led to?

 

“Young Master...” Kazue started, and then stopped. What was he supposed to say to the boy? Regardless, he took the bloodied industrial knife away from the boy and placed it onto the bedside table. Shakily bringing his hand to the boy’s chin, he lifted his head to observe his face.

 

Seijuurou’s face was pale and covered with a layer of sweat. The boy’s face was cold and clammy, and his breath was slight fast and shallow[i].

 

Kazue lifted the boy up a little and pulled the black shorts and boxers down.

 

Deep-red slashes marred the boy’s thighs, near the crotch.

 

“Why did you do this, Young Master?” He questioned, careful to keep his shock out of his voice.

 

The boy’s face contorted into pain as his eyes squeezed shut and more tears flowed out. “Why do you care...” The child brokenly said. “You never liked me, so why are you only caring now...”

 

Kazue felt himself shrouded in guilt as he realised that the Young Master knew about his attitude towards him. Children are much more clever and sensitive than adults take them credit for; how could he, of all people, forget that? Him, who grew up knowing that his parents never liked him or wanted him. Him, who vowed to himself that he would never be like his parents when he grew up. Yet, here he is, now an adult, acting the same way as his parents had.

 

The butler cradled the broken boy towards his chest and whispered words of apologies, because what else can he say? He is a scoundrel; the worst of the worst, he had committed an unforgivable sin, so he had no rights to defend himself now.

 

“Why did she had to die...” The boy cried brokenly. “I did the very best I could. I became one of the student council, I aced my papers and got championship for all competitions. I met all the requirements I was expected the meet as an Akashi… So why did she had to die...”

 

Kazue felt like slapping himself across the face because he was so stupid to think that the heir would feel nothing towards his mother’s death. The boy was practically raised by his mother. His father was always busy with his work and had little time for him. Everything he had done, he did it with his mother; of course, he would be more affected than anyone else in the Akashi mansion. It was foolish of him to think that the boy was unaffected.

 

“I would rather not be born if it means she would live!”

 

And that’s when Kazue realised that the boy knew that he was the cause of his mother’s weakening health.

 

“I-I am sorry, Seijuurou,” Kazue chocked, not bothering to address his Young Master properly because what the boy needed right now is support, not some stupid position or rank. “I will take responsibility for my actions and… and resign… and–”

 

“NO!”

 

Seijuurou’s shout had surprised the butler into silence. “Don’t you dare leave me too! Don’t leave me… please… I don’t care what you did, I forgive you! Just don’t leave me...”

 

“Okay… Okay, I won’t leave you, so please calm down, Seijuurou.” He was just given a second chance, and he is _not_ going to fuck that up again.

 

Slowly, Seijuurou not only calmed down but went lax in his arms.

 

“Seijuurou…? Seijuurou?!” Kazue shook the boy in his arm, but he received no reply.

 

This time, Kazue wants to slap himself in the face the second time because how could he forget that the boy was still bleeding. The boy is experiencing symptoms of shock[ii]!

 

Picking the boy up and placing him on his bed, the butler lifted his charge’s legs up to above his heart level so that blood would flow to the major organs. Part of his training as a butler also included basic first aid.

 

“Someone, anyone, come, quick!” He shouted across the room, hoping someone could hear him.

 

__________

 

Kazue shook his head fondly. His Young Master was too kind to forgive him after how he had treated the boy. It was also due to that incident that the household had found out about the heir inheriting the Lady’s weak health.

 

Due to the desperate pleading of the boy, the entire household had agreed to keep his self-harm and the fact that he had shed tears over his mother’s death a secret from his father. However, his poor health was still reported.

 

Deciding that it was time, Kazue stood up from his own bedroom to head towards his Young Master’s room to retrieve the book he lent to Tetsuya-san.

 

__________

 

Tetsuya stood by the door, his hand hovering over the door knob. There was something he had wanted to check with the butler, but he was afraid of opening the door.

 

He had tried it once, when he was locked into the punishment room. Tetsuya had climbed the stairs and tried to turn the knob open, only to burn his hand instead. Apparently, his master had anticipated that the boy would try something like that, and hence he had ordered his men to heat up the door knob so that Tetsuya would never try to escape ever again.

 

‘Ever again’ indeed, for Tetsuya is now afraid of opening the knob of Juurou’s door. He hovered his hand very, very close to the knob but not touching. He didn’t feel any heat coming from the knob. So that’s okay, right? It’s safe to touch?

 

Before he could gather the courage to even touch the door knob, the door opened, startling Tetsuya into jumping several feet back.

 

___________

 

“You were looking for me?” Kazue smiled as he saw the teal behind the door.

 

The boy nodded and lifted the journal that was in his hand.

 

“Ah, so you have finished it.” He responded and took the book from the teal. “So, is this what you were looking for me for?”

 

Tetsuya shook him head and started fiddling with his own fingers.

 

Knowing Tetsuya-san’s mannerism, Kazue pointed to the bed. “Why don’t we take a seat?”

 

__________

 

“Kazu...” Tetsuya started after several moments. “Juurou… didn’t want me to be a slave?”

 

“That is correct.” Came Kazue’s confident voice.

 

“Juurou… never wanted a slave at all?”

 

“That too, is correct.”

 

“But Kazu called Juurou ‘Master’...” Tetsuya rebutted, not understanding.

 

“Tetsuya-san, ‘master’, is just a term of respect for the person you serve.”

 

“But Juurou has Kazu and the maids...”

 

Knowing where the conversation was heading to, Kazue politely cut the teal. “Tetsuya-san, do you know the difference between a slave and a butler and maid?”

 

Tetsuya widened his eyes. _Difference?_

 

Kazue smiled patiently. “Tetsuya-san, did your master ever paid you money?”

 

Tetsuya shook his head in a negative.

 

“Did your master ever gave you a choice about whether you want to serve him?”

 

Again, another negative.

 

“Then that’s the difference.”

 

At Tetsuya’s furrowed brows, he elaborated. “Tetsuya-san, everyone here in the household served Young Master Seijuurou because we wanted to. We are paid for our services, and we are allowed to leave or go on a break anytime we want. We are given a freewill here and are treated as humans, Tetsuya-san. All that, your old Master did not provide.”

 

Tetsuya thought hard, because indeed, the maids always does their job with a smile on their faces. He couldn't help but to wonder why they would enjoy a life full of suffering and punishment. But if what Kazu said is true, then it would make a lot of sense.

 

“At the end of the day, Tetsuya-san, the butlers, maids and cooks are all here because they wanted to be. No one is forcing us to stay, and we don’t face any punishment whatsoever here.” Well, the only ‘punishment’ they face is being fired, but even so, it comes extremely rarely, not that Tetsuya needs to know that at the moment.

 

Seeing the teal in deep thought, Kazue smiled. “Are there anything else that you would like to ask?”

 

At Tetsuya’s unsure look, the butler ruffled the blue hair. “Look for me if you have more questions, alright?”

 

__________

 

Kazu was right. After the talk he had with Kazu, Tetsuya went around the household asking the maids why they served Juurou. All of them smile and said that it was because they enjoyed their job and that Juurou is nice to them.

 

This forces Tetsuya to have to review Juurou and the world because everyone enjoyed being here and Tetsuya is sure that Chie and Kisako and Hino do not enjoy serving Master.

 

If Juurou is really the kind ‘angel’ he knew, then why would Juurou be willing to look after someone as broken as himself?

 

* * *

 

 

[i]  As a former first aider, one of the first thing we learn to identify is Shock = blood loss. Some symptoms include Rapid and shallow breathing, rapid and weak pulse, cold and clammy skin, pale face, dilated pupils and dizziness among others. Shock can be caused not only by a lot of blood loss but may also be caused by psychological shock. Strictly speaking, Shock refers to the sudden drop in blood flow through the body, and it’s a serious medical condition that requires immediate medical attention.

 

[ii]  This shock refers to the medical shock as explained above, not the psychological shock(surprise).

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written a few days after the failed suicide attempt, so it contains a lot of angst and stuff...  
> Kazue turned out to be a greater support character than I had initially planned, so I have decided to include a little about his past.
> 
> Though it's school holidays now, I am still strangely moody and suicidal. Every day is so painful I really wish I could die...
> 
> Anyways, I am sure you didn't come here just to see me rant about my pointless life.  
> The weekly updates ends today, because I have yet to come up with the other chapters, sorry about that. I will update as soon as I finished one.
> 
> Please do comment if possible. Let me know what you think about the story.


	23. Chapter 23: Kintsukuroi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juurou is a great person. Why would he want to associate himself with someone so broken and scarred such as himself?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: OOCness, mentions of rape and injuries
> 
> \-----------
> 
> I apologise for such a late update. I had exams, and then some personal issues, and then I was hospitalised, and I couldn't complete the chapter until now.  
> Anyways, enjoy! I will see you all at the end notes if you are interested.

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Kintsukuroi**

 

Tetsuya laid flat on the bed, his limbs spread like a starfish as he looked up at the ceiling fan. From what he had heard about Juurou’s schedule from Kazue, Juurou would be finishing his examinations, followed by a summer break filled with basketball practice. Since all that was left for his examinations were multiple-choice papers, whatever that is, Juurou’s basketball team managed to squeeze in a three-day-two-night camp before the last of the exams.

 

After reading Juurou’s diary and knowing about Juurou’s thoughts about him, Tetsuya had gotten interested about Juurou and had asked the butler about it. Kazue did not reveal much – only about their Young Master’s achievements. But based on that, Tetsuya knew that Juurou was a great person who achieved a lot and had a bright future ahead of him. However, one thing he still does not understand is that if Juurou is really that capable, why would he bother himself with a broken, scarred creature like himself?

 

“Tetsuyacchi!” The loud and cheerful voice shouted from the door, startling Tetsuya out of his daydream.

 

The teal boy sat up from his lying position, his head swimming a little from the sudden change in body posture.

 

The door burst opened to reveal a yellow blur that Tetsuya recognised as Kiss, followed by Ahone and Mini Mi-do-ma.

 

“Tetsuyacchi, it’s been a while!” Kiss exclaimed, trotting towards the teal’s bedside.

 

“Yo Tetsu, let’s play basketball again! Be my partner this time!”

 

“No way, Tetsuyacchi’s is gonna be my partner, right Tetsuyacchi?”

 

“Basketball is fine, but make sure you don’t wear him out like what I heard last time-nanodayo.”

 

Tetsuya smiled, because they are just as he had remembered them to be. They didn't change even after Tetsuya learnt about reality. But just in case…

 

“Everyone going rape me?” He questioned softly.

 

Rape is a word he learnt from Kazue not too long ago. It refers to people he doesn't like touching him down there and making him feel scared and uncomfortable, and putting it into his butt hole. Tetsuya finally had a word to describe that situation.

 

“Hah?!” Ahone exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes one squinted and the other widened.

 

“Tetsuyacchi…? What are you talking about?”

 

As the former slave narrated the events that took place in choppy sentence. He mentioned about his old master and his friends raping him, and how Juurou brought him back to Master’s place. He mentioned about realising reality, and how he was afraid that Juurou wanted him to be his slave. He then finished off by checking to make sure that they would not rape him. As they listened, the Miracle’s face changed from confusion to anger.

 

“What the hell?!” Aomine cursed, slamming a fist hard into the mattress, causing Tetsuya to flinch from shock.

 

“What is Akashicchi thinking-ssu?!” Kise shouted before turning to look at the teal with softened features. “Are you okay now, Tetsuyacchi?”

 

“I am going to talk to Akashi-nanodayo.” Midorima adjusted his glasses and walked out of the room, angry and determined to find Akashi for answers.

 

__________

 

Midorima entered Akashi’s temporary room to the redhead’s back facing him, dressed in a simple shirt and basketball shorts and staring out at the window.

 

“We have heard everything-nanodayo. What on earth were you thinking, Akashi?” Midorima questioned sternly, his eyes boring holes into the back of Akashi.

 

Akashi gave no response; gave no indication that he was listening at all, and that served to irritate Midorima even more.

 

“Akashi!” Midorima hollered. “You know that Tetsuya was badly abused, whatever made you think that bringing him back there would be a good idea? Weren’t you supposed to be a genius–”

 

“Midorima.” Akashi’s calm and cold voice cut through Midorima’s ranting. Yet, to the bespectacled teen, the voice sounded defeated. “That’s enough. I know.”

 

The Akashi heir turned partly to revealed his sunken eyes with bags hanging below it. The face looked so tired, so pained that, if not for the red hair and eyes, would not resemble the captain he was so familiar with.

 

“Akashi, you...” Midorima realised that Akashi knew about his mistake, and regretted it. But before he would complete his sentence, he was interrupted by a maid who had knocked onto the opened door.

 

“Young Master, the item has returned.” She smiled gently.

 

“Ah, thank you.” Akashi head towards the maid, taking the heavily wrapped item from her before returning to his previous spot, placing the item carefully in front of him. The maid bowed before excusing herself, closing the door to give the two boys some privacy.

 

The smell of newspapers assaulted his senses, and Midorima watched on as the shorter of the two unwrapped the item from its newspaper confinement to reveal a black marble and turquoise blue ceramic bowl with gold lines lacing down in uneven patterns.

 

Despite its random patterns, the lines of gold that stretches across the bowl served to only beautify it. No other traditional bowls Midorima had ever seen can be compared to its beauty. Yet, Midorima seemed to find it strangely familiar.

 

The green-haired man watched as Akashi held the bowl tenderly, a small smile spread over his lips as his thumb traced over the golden lines.

 

“Akashi… This bowl…”

 

“Yeah. It was my mother’s,” Akashi interrupted softly. “and it's the same one.”

 

As if heaven forbids Midorima from finishing a sentence in the presence of the heir, he was once again interrupted before he would open his mouth.

 

“Young Master,” The butler greeted, carefully opening the door. “It's time.”

 

Akashi nodded his head, grabbing his Rakuzan bag and a small luggage and heading out of the door. “Feel free to stay for as long as you like, Midorima.” He said before turning to the butler and stating that he did not need to be escorted.

 

Midorima sighed and turned around, only to hit onto a baggy item. He stared, dumbfounded at the luggage he hit. Didn’t Akashi bring a luggage out with him?

 

“Ah, that,” The look on his face must have been obvious, for the butler helpfully supplied, “Young Master Seijuurou is going to move back to the Rakuzan dorms. I tried to dissuade him, but he seemed to think that that is the best for Tetsuya-san.” He sighed before excusing himself, leaving Midorima alone with his thoughts.

 

__________

 

Midorima returned to Akashi’s original room to a frowny Aomine, a miserable Kise and an even more miserable Tetsuya.

 

“What happened while I am gone this time-nanodayo.” Midorima demanded, taking in the downtrodden Tetsuya.

 

“Tetsuyacchi said he misses Akashicchi’s touch-ssu. We are trying to think of ways to help them make up.”

 

“Apparently, the issue now is not Tetsu fearing Akashi himself, but fearing that he is not good enough for him.” Aomine grumbled, scratching the back of his head.

 

Midorima remained speechless, not understanding the problem.

 

“Kazu told Tetsuya that Juurou accum-a-accom-pull-lished (accomplished) a lot...” Tetsuya mumbled, tripping over the more difficult words. “Tetsuya... very broken… not good enough for Juurou...”

 

“Who is Kazu?” Kise asked.

 

Tetsuya made a face. “Kazu is Kazu!”

 

“My guess is he’s Akashi’s personal butler-nanodayo. If I am not mistaken, his name is Kazue.”

 

Kise squealed and hugged the miserable teal, both Aomine and Midorima winced at the ear-piercing cry. “Tetsuyacchi always gives the cutest nicknames-ssu!”

 

“Cute my ass. He called me ‘Ahone’, that’s not cute.” Aomine complained.

 

“That’s because Aominecchi deserves it.”

 

“Wha- That’s not true, you didn’t call him by his name too!”

 

Midorima sighed. It seemed like he is fated to be unable to speak in this household. Leaving Tetsuya to the two bickering idiots, he left the room to look for the thing he knew can help Tetsuya love himself, as cheesy as that sounds. Tetsuya’s issues aren’t about him fearing Akashi – it has nothing to do with Akashi, for that matter. Tetsuya’s current issue is him finding himself too broken, too ugly and scarred to deserve anything good, and so Midorima had an idea on how to deal with that. He just hoped that it can help Akashi and Tetsuya speak again.

 

Entering Akashi’s temporary room once again, he easily found the item he was looking for, resting peacefully in its nest of newspapers.

 

__________

 

“Tetsuya, do you know what kintsukuroi is?” Midorima asked, cutting the yellow and navy blue’s argument.

 

“Kintsukuroi?” The teal repeated with a head tilt.

 

Midorima placed the bowl with gold lines into the boy’s hands. “Do you remember this?”

 

Tetsuya held the bowl gently and with reverence. He had never seen such a beautiful bowl. “Beautiful...” He unknowingly said.

 

Midorima smiled, because that’s the exact response he was hoping for. “Tetsuya, that’s the same bowl that you had broken during our first meeting.”

 

Tetsuya frowned, not understanding. He was pretty sure that he had broken that bowl. It smashed into pieces: ugly, broken and unusable. It can’t be the one that he is holding onto now.

 

“Tetsuya, kintsukuroi is the art of repairing broken potteries. When used as a philosophy, it is the art of embracing imperfections instead of treating it with disgust.” Midorima paused in his explanation to let his words sink in.

 

“The bowl that you had broken was perfect, yes. But after it was broken, Akashi sent to for a repair. Now, it returned even more beautiful than ever. Likewise for you,” He paused again, making sure that he had Tetsuya’s attention. “You might be broken, ugly and scarred, but when you heal – which I am sure Akashi would help you with that – you will be an even better person than you were before.”

 

Kise’s eyes lighted up after knowing where Midorima was going with that speech. “That’s right, Tetsuyacchi! Akashicchi didn’t throw that bowl away even after it is broken. There is no way he would give up on you too! So, don’t worry about being scarred right now. You will be even more beautiful, just like this bowl!”

 

The former slave looked down at the bowl in his hands. He will become more beautiful than before, just like this bowl. Juurou kept this bowl even after he had broken it, so Juurou wouldn’t give up on him despite him being so broken…

 

Aomine rubbed the back of his neck and yawned. “Well, now that all the complicated stuff is settled, let’s go play some basketball, Tetsu!”

 

“Aominecchi!” Kise gasped with indignant. “You are so anti-climatic-ssu! Can’t you see that we are talking about something so serious and intelligent here?!”

 

“Hah? Well, whatever it is, it’s settled, isn’t it? No point dwelling on it any longer. Come, Tetsu!” The Touou ace pulled at the teal’s arms and led him out of the room. “It’s basketball time! We shall trash that yellow dummy and carrot together!”

 

“Aominecchi--! Hey no! Tetsuyacchi would be on my team, right, Tetsuyacchi?” Kise whined, running after the two blue boys.

 

Midorima sighed and followed them. They are idiots, both Kise and Aomine.

 

__________

 

Murmurs erupted through the court as a Rakuzan first-year dribbled pass their captain, Akashi Seijuurou.

 

Akashi is known for his calculative abilities, movements and intricate plays that is similar to that of a game of shogi. It is not surprising for him to intentionally let his opponent gain the upper hand at the start of the game to measure their strength. It is, however, surprising for him to let his guard down towards the end of the game. Granted, they are winning with a score of 85-60, but Akashi is the type who would not let go of his prey until their heart stop beating, and hence that unsuccessful block came to a shock to some of the more observant members.

 

“Sei-chan seemed kind of out of it today, don’t you think?” The Rakuzan shooting guard, Mibuchi Reo, commented after the game.

 

“Really? He seemed the same to me!” His fellow starter and small forward, Hayama Kotarou answered, digging into his chaos of a locker for his towel.

 

“Sei-chan looked rather distracted...”

 

“Maybe he didn’t eat enough? A hungry stomach makes a distracted mind!” The last of the third-year starter, Nebuya Eikichi suggested after a loud burp.

 

“I am an idiot for asking the two of you...” The black-haired male sighed before complaining about Nebuya’s lack of delicacy.

 

“Eh?! Reo-nee, aren’t you gonna shower?” The lightning beast exclaimed loudly.

 

“You are noisy as ever,” Mibuchi sighed yet again. “It’s ‘free time’ now, isn’t it? I am going to do some extra shooting. Besides, I would have to wait for a cubicle if I go shower now, might as well do some practice.”

 

“Then I am coming too!” Hayama exclaimed, throwing his tower back into his locker. “What about you, Ei-chan?”

 

The muscular male waved him off, grunting something about dinner and food.

 

__________

 

Akashi had been feeling off the entire day. He woke up feeling warm all over, yet he couldn’t stop shivering. He felt nauseous and his head wouldn’t stop spinning. Seeing the luggage by his temporary bedroom door had spurred him to move. He had basketball camp starting today. A few more days after that would be the remainder of his examinations, and once that is over, he would be moving back into the Rakuzan dorm.

 

Throughout the training, Akashi lacked focus. His head was pounding and by the time he managed to clear his mind and vision, his opponent had already dribbled past him. The redhead sighed. He needed to get his act together.

 

As everyone left for their free time, Akashi stayed behind to practice. Ever since Tetsuya stopped talking to him, he hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything. Akashi dribbled the ball, preparing to do a dunk. He ran towards the hoop, gathering all his energy in his leg to jump towards the hoop.

 

“SEI-CHAN!!!” “AKASHI!”

 

Akashi didn’t know what happened. One moment, he was jumping off to do a dunk. The next, he was sitting on the floor with someone… (was that Mibuchi and Hayama?) shouting his name. What is he doing on the floor anyway?

 

Akashi tried to stand up, but found his head swimming and throbbing and he fell back down again. He felt a sharp, sickening pain boomed in his right foot and his face scrunched up as he let out a strained cry.

 

“Sei-chan!” Mibuchi – he is sure of it now – exclaimed. “Oh my goodness, Sei-chan you are burning hot!” The black-haired male cried when he touched the other’s arm.

 

Akashi groaned and cupped his head. “Mibuchi… lower your voice. My head… hurts.”

 

“Sei-chan, you are having a fever,” The shooting guard said, making sure to keep his voice low.

 

“Reo-nee, I will go inform the coach.” Hayama said, sounding worried and serious. How unHayama-like.

 

__________

 

“He definitely sprained his ankle” The school doctor said after checking Akashi for about fifteen minutes. “Given the amount of swelling and bruising, I would say, it is likely to be a grade 2 sprain.”

 

“How long would the recovery take?” Shirogane Eiji, Rakuzan’s coach asked.

 

“One month, at the minimum.” The doctor finally replied after studying his chart. “Provided he rest his foot completely and not put any strength on it… crutches should be good enough. Also,” He paused before delivering the final news. “He has a rather high fever. I have given him panadeine[i] for now, both for the fever, migraine and his leg injury. He will probably be drowsy for a while. Are his parents coming over the send him home?”

 

“I will send him home,” Shirogane claimed. “We can’t contact his next-of-kin[ii] so... Mibuchi, Hayama, I will need you to come along with me. Hayama, go grab his belongings, Mibuchi, help Akashi into my car, I will go get it started.”

 

The Lightning beast saluted with a ‘Yes sir!’ at his coach before dashing off to their hostels. Mibuchi sighed at the other’s antics before walking past the doctor to examination table where Akashi is lying.

 

“Sei-chan? Can you hear me?” He asked carefully, making sure to keep his voice low to not startle the other.

 

The Sei-chan mumbled unintelligibly and turned his head to the other direction before falling silent again. He was really out of it.

 

Mibuchi carefully crossed the redhead’s bandaged legs over his uninjured one, putting an arm under his neck and another under his knees, he slowly lifted the unconscious boy up. “Thank you for everything, doctor,” He said just before he walked out of the office, the doctor holding the door open for them.

 

__________

 

“Mhmm...” Akashi mumbled when they were in the coach’s car, on the way to his mansion.

 

“Sei-chan? Are you awake?” Mibuchi asked softly.

 

From the front of the car, Shirogane looked up at the redhead through the rear mirror.

 

Akashi was seated on Mibuchi’s lap on the left side, his legs propped up by Hayama’s on the other, and his belongings at the shotgun.

 

The Akashi heir opened his bleary eyes, everything was blurred and confusing, his mind seemed to process things too slowly. That, or everything around him is happening too fast. He felt warmth at his right side and instinctively buried himself into that warmth.

 

That warmth has to be Kazue, he thought. The last time he felt this horrible, Kazue was there with him, holding him, making him feel safe and helping him through the worst of it.

 

“Kazue...” Akashi mumbled as he hid his face into the warmth chest. The chest felt less broad compared to what he had remembered, but he was too confused and tired to care.

 

“Akashi…?” Hayama leaned over to peer into his eyes, making sure not to move his lower body where the injured leg was resting on. “Akashi, that was Mibuchi.”

 

Mibuchi? What’s a Mibuchi? Akashi frowned. His mind isn’t working as it should, it’s all muddled and slow.

 

Mibuchi...his senior in Rakuzan? Oh, Mibuchi is his teammate in basketball… he specialised in... shooting balls or something. He can’t remember the term for it. If he recalled, he was called Reo-nee by Hayama due to his motherly behaviour. He is kind and gentle and sensitive to people’s emotions, very much unlike himself. That’s right, his stupidity had caused him his relationship with Tetsuya…

 

“What should I do about Tetsuya…?”

 

Mibuchi and Hayama exchanged looks of confusion. “Sei-chan? Who is Tetsuya?”

 

“Tetsuya… I’m sorry… I’m sorry...” Was all Akashi said, his voice growing softer and softer until he himself loss consciousness.

 

“Reo-nee,” Hayama whispered. “Maybe that ‘Tetsuya’ is the reason why Akashi is so distracted today?”

 

__________

 

“Kazu, Kazu!” Tetsuya smiled.

 

“Hello Tetsuya-san,” Kazue greeted. “How are you today?”

 

“Goooooood~” The boy cooed. “What Kazu doing?” He pointed at the books that Kazue was stacking.

 

“Ah,” Kazue gave a small smile, albeit sadly. “I am preparing the books that I think the Young Master might need.”

 

The teal tilted his head, not understanding.

 

“Tetsuya, Young Master Seijuurou is planning to move back to the dorm for your sake.”

 

Tetsuya tilted his head even more. “Dorm...?”

 

“A dorm is a place rather far away from here, Tetsuya-san. You won’t get to see Seijuurou-sama as often anymore.”

 

Tetsuya frown. “Why?”

 

“The Young Master still thinks that you are afraid of him, Tetsuya-san. So, he is planning to move so that you will feel safer here. That’s why, Tetsuya-san, if you don’t want the Young Master to go anywhere, make up with him soon, okay?” Kazue said, looking at the marble bowl that rests on the bedside table.

 

__________

 

“Holy shit! This is Akashi’s house?! It’s so freaking huge man!” Hayama shouted, rising as much as he could in the car to better see the building they were driven into. The movement had caused Akashi leg to be shifted, resulting in the boy wincing in pain even in his deep sleep.

 

“Kotarou, lower your volume! We are in an enclosed space here!” Mibuchi scolded. Shirogane silently agreed to the shooting guard’s statement. Hayama’s voice is loud and piercing in small areas.

 

Noticing slight movements against his chest, Mibuchi saw Akashi wincing in pain. “And sit back down, you are hurting Sei-chan!”

 

Suddenly remembering about the legs that were held elevated on his thighs, Hayama gulped and sat back down slowly, careful not to jostle the leg any more than he had. “Oops… sorry, Akashi...” He whispered.

 

Gaining entrance into the mansion was extremely difficult. Without prior appointment or notice, the security guards were unsure about letting strangers in. Shirogane had to flash his Rakuzan teaching card in order to convince the guards that they are not suspicious. It wasn’t until they noticed their Young Master in the car when they looked in to see all the occupants that they hurried the car into the mansion.

 

Mibuchi got out first, cradling the redhead securely against him and making sure to avoid moving the injured leg too much. Hayama came out next, closing the door on his side, then Reo’s before opening the door at the shotgun to retrieve Akashi’s belongings.

 

The mansion door opened even before they reached, and what emerged was a butler with a face filled with worry. The guards must had informed him. “My lord! Young Master!” The Butler exclaimed.

 

“Holy shit, that's a real butler! That's so badass!” Hayama commented, his eyes sparkling at the emerald eyed butler.

 

The butler ignored that comment. Or maybe he didn't hear it. He was too busy fussing over the redhead that was sleeping against the black-haired male.

 

“I will carry Sei-chan to his bed. I don't think it would be good to move him around too much considering his leg…” Mibuchi explained, using his chin to gesture at the bandaged leg when the butler tried to carry Akashi.

 

“Very well,” the butler nodded with understanding. “This way please.” He directed with his hand.

 

Hayama walked first along the corridor, carrying Akashi’s items over his shoulders all the while gasping at every part of the mansion. Mibuchi lagged behind a little, too concern about Akashi to lecture Kotarou about manners. Shirogane and the butler were last, the former relaying what had happened to the latter.

 

Seeing a door with the name ‘Seijuurou’ on it, the blond beast immediately turned the knob to open it.

 

“Ah, no! That’s not the room!” But Kazue’s warning came too late.

 

The door had already opened, and behind it revealed a skinny teal that looked as shocked as he was. “Reo-nee,” He said, his voice sounding stern and serious.

 

Hearing a very unusual-Kotarou tone, Mibuchi looked up, following his line of sight onto the teal boy. “Oh.” He said simply.

 

“My most sincerest apology, Young Master’s room is temporarily relocated here,” The butler gestured to a room further down the corridor. “This way please.”

 

Hayama gave one last long look at the other boy before heading to the room with a ‘Guest room 1’ sign on it.

 

“Are you Tetsuya?” Mibuchi asked, his tone cold and distant. Seeing the boy twitch a little, he knew he was right. “Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Sei-chan, but it has affected him a lot. So, try to fix that problem soon, or you will have the entire Rakuzan basketball team against you.” The shoulder length haired Rakuzan member advised before following Kotarou.

 

__________

 

Tetsuya laid on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. He wanted to make up with Juurou. He planned to apologise to him when he returned from his camp. That’s right, Tetsuya will ask Juurou not to leave him!

 

He was, however, interrupted from his thoughts by a loud cry from Kazu coming from the main door. Had he known how, he would have sworn he heard Kazu say ‘Young Master’, and he was pretty sure Kazu said that Juurou won’t return from ‘camp’, whatever that is, until two more days later.

 

Tetsuya felt his heart thumped. He hadn’t expected Juurou to come home that early, so he hadn’t prepared his speech yet. However, he wants to make up with Juurou as soon as possible, so Tetsuya hopped off the bed and waited behind the door. As soon as Juurou walked near it, he would open the door and apologise. He is sure he can manage an impromptu speech somehow.

 

The former slave frowned when the footsteps got closer. It wasn’t just Kazue and Juurou, the footsteps belonged to more than just two people. Did Juurou bring some friends home? Maybe he should apologise later.

 

Before he could move away from the door and return to the bed, his door swung opened and Tetsuya was face-to-face with a taller male with blond hair and snaggletooth.

 

Both boys looked at each other with shock before the taller one turned serious.

 

“Reo-nee.” The snaggletooth one said.

 

The black haired one turned his head and looked over at him.

 

“Oh.” He said.

 

“My most sincerest apology, Young Master’s room is temporarily relocated here. This way please.”

 

Tetsuya heard what Kazu said, but his attention was fully on Juurou, who was resting on that ‘Reo-nee’ ‘s arms.

 

Juurou had always been so strong and capable and tough to Tetsuya that the boy didn’t know how to react when he saw Juurou being carried.

 

Juurou looked so tired, so in pain as he slept soundly in that ‘Reo-nee’ ‘s arms. It just seemed too unJuurou-like.

 

The blond one walked away, but that ‘Reo-nee’ still stood there looking at him.

 

“Are you Tetsuya?” His voice was cold and Tetsuya tried not to flinch.

 

How did ‘Reo-nee’ know of his name? Did Juurou tell him? Does he hate him now?

 

“Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Sei-chan, but it has affected him a lot. So, try to fix that problem soon, or you will have the entire Rakuzan basketball team against you”

 

The teal remained in the room, wary of the strangers. It wasn’t until Kazu brought those people out of the mansion that Tetsuya tip-toed into Juurou’s temporary room.

 

Juurou was placed on the bed, covered in thick blankets and one of his leg propped up against a small pillow. His face was flushed, almost as red as his hair, and his breathing was rather laboured.

 

Tetsuya shyly reached over to Juurou and touched the forehead. It felt hot to his hand. He doesn’t know what that does, but he remembered Juurou doing that to him all the time when he was having his fever.

 

Tetsuya ran into the en suite bathroom, grabbing a face towel and wetting it with tap water. He carried the dripping towel back to Juurou and placed it on the forehead. Again, he recalled Juurou doing the similar to him.

 

Though, as Tetsuya did not wring the towel dry, water dripped down Juurou’s face, drenching the pillow he was lying on.

 

“Juurou...” The teal whimpered in worry. His actions didn’t seem to help. Instead, Juurou looked even more uncomfortable. “Kazu! Kazu!”

 

“What’s the matter, Tetsuya-san?!” Kazue appeared at the door, a bucket of water held against his hips and his face filled with concern and worry.

 

“Juurou...” Tetsuya teared. “Juurou not getting better.”

 

Kazue looked over at the unconscious Young Master, noticing a dripping face towel on his forehead and the pillow he was lying on drenched. He easily connected two-to-two and gave Tetsuya a smile and a gentle pat. “Don’t worry, Tetsuya-san, Young Master would be better.”

 

Kazue removed the wet pillow and replaced it with a dry one. He then wiped Akashi’s face dry before calling Tetsuya closer.

 

“This is how you do it,” He showed Tetsuya, dipping the towel into the bowl of water, then lifting it out to twist it dry. “You need to make sure the towel isn’t dripping first before you put it on the forehead.”

 

Tetsuya observed with immense curiosity and attention, nodding his head vigorously to let Kazue know that he understood.

 

When Kazue left the room to call for Doctor Midorima, Tetsuya was once again left alone with the feverish Akashi.

 

The teal climbed onto the bed, on Akashi’s left. He settled under and blanket and stuck as close to Akashi as possible without touching him. He wants to hug Akashi, cuddle and snuggle up to him, but he is afraid of worsening his injuries. Tetsuya whimpered again. He doesn’t like a sick Juurou.

 

About thirty minutes later, Kazue returned with Doctor Midorima and was greeted with a sight of Tetsuya in deep sleep, hugging the Young Master’s arm like how one would hug a bolster. The Akashi heir, on the other hand, has his head tilted towards the smaller boy’s direction.

 

Kazue smiled, because he just knew that things would get better after this.

 

* * *

 

 

[i] Panadeine is a strong paracetamol (pain killer). It contains codeine which has sedative effect. If I am not wrong, panadeine is often used after surgery for pain. I was given that to help deal with menstruation cramps.

 

[ii] Some school forms asked for next-of-kin instead of guardians contact information. In this case, Akashi’s next-of-kin is his father. And as his father is currently overseas, Shirogane was unable to contact him.

 

Writing this chapter make me feel like a hypocrite. This chapter revolves around the understanding and scars make a person beautiful, yet I can’t feel the same way for myself. By the way, the bowl looks something like this:

 

taken from: https://www.custommade.com/portrait-sculpture/by/lakesidepottery/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for my lateness. I had exams, and then a personal issue held me back.
> 
> I had always find it strange. I mentioned many times that this story is born from my past and desires, though exaggerated to make the story interesting. But I couldn't help but wonder why I wrote about rape even though I had never experienced it at all. It wasn't until about a month ago when I was talking to my psychiatrist that I realised I had been sexually harassed by a family member for over a year, but as it had scared me somewhat, I had locked the memory away and couldn't recall it until then. Kinda pathetic to be scared by harassment huh. People had gone through worse and yet here I am having trauma over something so minute.  
> Regardless, the realisation scared me and made me feel unsafe. I started becoming wary and had nightmares every night until I couldn't take it. It led to me being suicidal, which ended up with me being in the hospital for being unsafe to others and myself.
> 
> As the psychiatric ward did not allow electronics, I couldn't use my laptop to finish the chapter, so this got delayed until now. I am really sorry for that.
> 
> Anyways, kintsukuroi is one of my favourite philosophies. I think that scars make a person beautiful. Sadly, I can't seem to see myself the same way.
> 
> For those who are interested, these are all the drawings I did while I was in the ward.
> 
> https://justsimplyl.tumblr.com/post/165616964037/stuff-i-drew-while-i-was-in-the-psychiatric-ward
> 
> it's a little creepy and scary so please be careful.  
> Also, thanks for reading, and I will see you all next chapter.  
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciate!


	24. Chapter 24: Akashi Shiori

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juurou is sick. Very very sick. And Tetsuya is afraid that Juurou would be gone forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: OOCness, mentions of rape, graphic descriptions of injuries, mentions of suicide, death, gore, incorrect medical explainations

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Akashi Shiori**

 

“Ugh…”

 

“Mhmm…? Juurou…?” A grunt had woken Tetsuya up, bringing his attention immediately to the warmer body beside him.

 

“Te… tsuya?”

 

Hearing his name being called, Tetsuya brightened. “Juurou? Juurou!” It was in the middle of the night; the room was extremely dark so the boy had to strain his eyes to look at the other. Akashi’s eyes were still closed, seemingly still asleep. His head, however, was turning and shifting restlessly, as if in a nightmare.

 

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… Please… don't leave me behind...”

 

“Juurou...?” Tetsuya leaned closer to the redhead, and was astonished to see tears leaking out of the closed lids. “Juurou! It’s ‘kay, it’s ‘kay!” Tetsuya tried to assure, using his thumb to wipe the tears away.

 

Akashi stopped mumbling, but his breathing began to sound laboured and weird. It sounded strange, especially when he breathes out, like some high-pitched whistling. Tetsuya remembered making those sounds back at his master’s, when he felt severe pain in his chest. Tetsuya felt himself panicked. Something is wrong with Juurou.

 

“Juurou! Hang on! Tetsuya find Kazu!” Tetsuya exclaimed, jumping out of the bed and dashing out of the room.

 

“Kazu, Kazu!” Tetsuya called when he reached Kazue’s living quarters. He knocked onto the door frantically, but there was no answer. Tetsuya tenderly touched the knob and gave it a twist. He was surprised to find that the door was unlocked.

 

“Kazu!” He called out into the room. No one was in. The bed was very neatly made, almost untouched. The only indication that Kazue had been in there was the fact that a butler uniform was hung neatly at the side of the cupboard, ready to be worn the next day.

 

“Tetsuya-san?”

 

Tetsuya jumped in shock, turning around to see a maid in her night gown, looking confused.

 

“I heard some shouting, what’s wrong?” The maid asked.

 

“Kazu where?” Tetsuya answered, running to the maid to bury his face in her. The maid instinctively held onto the boy’s shoulder gently.

 

“Kazue-san is not in his room?”

 

“Noooooo...” Tetsuya whined, covering his face with his hands.

 

“Mhmm...” The maid thought. “Well, if Kazue-san isn’t in his room, he should be in the common area.”

 

“Common area where?!” Tetsuya detached himself from the maid, looking hopeful.

 

The maid chuckled. “Down this corridor, on your right.”

 

“Left… right…” Tetsuya mumbled to himself, raising his hand respectively to find his right arm before his face brightened again. “Thank!” He cried before sprinting down the hallway, leaving the maid to close Kazue’s door before retreating back into her own room.

 

As Tetsuya turned to his right, there was a room at the end of the hall with a dim light. Running into the room, Tetsuya saw Kazue sitting at the table in his loungewear, which is just a loose t-shirt and sweatpants[i]. Kazue had his reading spectacles on, a hand propped up by the table to hold his book, and the other supporting his chin as if in deep contemplation.

 

“Kazu!” Tetsuya sighed in relief when he finally saw the man he was looking for.

 

The butler was startled out of his thoughts, turning his head to the source of the noise only to see a pale blue running into his chest.

 

“Tetsuya-san?! It’s... 2:15 in the morning!” Kazue said after checking the clock on the wall, bringing a hand to cup at the blue head... “Why are you still up?”

 

“Juurou!” Tetsuya tried to explain. “Juurou weird! Kazu help!”

 

Hearing about his Young Master, Kazue immediately stood up and ran towards the room Akashi was currently residing.

 

__________

 

Akashi was still wheezing when Kazue came, his face pale and contorted in discomfort.

 

“Young Master…?” Kazue softly called after he turned on the bedside lamp.

 

“Guh...” Akashi grunted but did not wake.

 

“Seijuurou?” Kazue called more urgently this time, gently patting onto the redhead’s shoulders to wake him up.

 

Akashi turned his head to the side and coughed loudly, spitting out a greenish-yellow phlegm in the process.

 

“Shit!” Kazue cursed when he saw what Akashi had coughed out. Immediately scooping the unconscious boy into his arms, Kazue carried the boy into his original room.

 

Kazue placed him on his side of the bed before squatting down to retrieve a strange machine from the bedside cabinet. Plugging in and connecting the wires and tubes, Kazue covered the redhead’s nose and mouth with a transparent mask, also with tubes connecting to the machine. He secured the mask with a band around the heir’s head. Finally, he switched the device on.

 

“Oxygen machine,” Kazue supplied when he saw Tetsuya’s confused face.

 

After having everything set up, Kazue called for Doctor Midorima again, saying something along the lines of ‘supplemental oxygen’ and ‘emergency’ – Tetsuya doesn’t really understand.

 

The situation happened so fast and so blurry for Tetsuya. All he could remember was that at one moment, Juurou’s room was dim with a small and soft whirring sound from the machine, and the next, the room was bright with strange people all around.

 

Juurou had a lot of strange stuff connected to him. Some liquid bag with long wire tube that was attached to Juurou’s arm. The liquid bag was attached to a square-ish machine with slow beeping noise[ii]. He also had a small clip attached to his index finger, connected to a separate machine with several strange moving lines[iii].

 

Doctor Midorima and several nurses were surrounding Juurou, drawing his blood and listening to his chest and sometimes murmuring, sometimes shouting instructions. Several nurses were sticking strange black stickers with wires connected onto Juurou’s chest, arm and leg[iv]. Another was wrapping his arm in a big band[v]. Kazue was at the side, assisting when necessary.

 

Terrified and lost, Tetsuya run out of the room, down the stairs and through the side door into the garden.

 

Wandering around aimlessly in the huge Akashi garden, Tetsuya clutched onto his arms tightly. The scene in Juurou’s room flashed through his mind again and he trembled. He was terrified; Juurou looked so weak and sickly back there that it barely resembled the person that had saved him from his hell.

 

His feet were wet and stinging with night dew and broken twigs but Tetsuya ignored them – he had endured much worse.

 

In the dead of the night, the teal found a hammock swing in the garden and climbed into it[vi]. He curled up into the nest of pillows and closed his eyes, whining softly. He wants the old Juurou back: the healthy, kind and strong Juurou that had saved him from being starved to death. He wants the Juurou that would comfort him when he had nightmares, hug him and encourage him and just simply being the Juurou he had known. The current Juurou is sick and weak and Tetsuya desperately wants to revert time back to before their misunderstanding started.

 

__________

 

“Seijuurou-kun has a lung infection. That’s what caused the discoloured mucus.” Doctor Midorima explained.

 

“Right...” Kazue replied solemnly.

 

The green-haired doctor smiled at the other’s worry. “Don’t worry so much, Kazue-san. Seijuurou-kun would be fine. For now, I have given him antibiotics via the drip the counter the infection. The drip also contains a small amount of painkiller to help with pain, though he would be drowsy for some time. Now, we just have to wait for his infection to be cleared. With enough rest, Seijuurou-kun will recover.” He patted Kazue on the shoulder.

 

“That’s a relief...” Kazue sighed. “I apologise for calling you over at such wee hours...”

 

“Don't worry about it, it's my job.” The doctor waved the apology away.

 

“By the way,” Doctor Midorima asked when they are outside the mansion where his car was parked. “His medicine thins his mucus enough for him to cough it out easily. His immune system is also generally strong enough to fight against any bacteria that happened to be trapped in the mucus. Had there been any issue that had caused Seijuurou-kun stress lately?”

 

“Yes… There just might be...” Kazue muttered after a bit of hesitation.

 

“I see,” Doctor Midorima sighed. “Seijuurou-kun’s immune system tend to weaken drastically when he is stressed. That might be the reason why he suddenly succumbed to the infection. Well, while is it very unlikely for one to not experience stress in his lifetime, he needs to resolve whatever issue is bothering him soon or he will likely to get sick again, if not his lungs then something else. For the moment, emotional support is very important for him.”

 

“I understand…” Came the reply from the butler.

 

“I have arranged for a private ambulance to be stationed here. If Seijuurou-kun’s condition appears to worsen at the tiniest bit, send him to my hospital immediately. Otherwise, I will come by again in the evening to adjust his antibiotics.”

 

As the two men talked on about Akashi’s medical condition, none of them noticed the teal that was resting in the hammock swing in the garden near them.

 

__________

 

A drip of wetness landed on his cheeks, causing Tetsuya to rose from his uneasy sleep. Opening his eyes, it took the boy quite some time to register where he was. He immediately shot up, remembering the scene from yesterday, only to nearly lost his balance in the swinging hammock if not for the strong arms that held him steady.

 

“Easy there…” It said.

 

Following the hands on his shoulder, Tetsuya’s eyes landed on the butler that is Kazue. “Kazu...” The boy mumbled tiredly, a fist raised to rub at his eyes. He noticed that Kazue is in his butler uniform now.

 

“Took me a while to find you, kiddo. It’s still early, would you like to return to bed? It’s easy to catch a cold here.”

 

Tetsuya shook his head. Returning to bed meant that he would see Juurou, and he is afraid of seeing Juurou so weak, so pained, and with so many wires attached to him. He moved to sit properly, and that was when he noticed a thick blanket pooling at his thighs. Kazu must have put it on him.

 

“Ah that blanket is Lady Shiori’s. We had bought it specifically for staying outside.” Kazue explained upon seeing Tetsuya’s confused look.

 

“Shiri?” Tetsuya questioned with a yawn.

 

“Lady Shiori is Young Master Seijuurou’s mother.”

 

Tetsuya allowed himself time to process Kazue’s words before he suddenly remembered what he wanted to ask, “What about Juurou? Is Juurou ‘kay?”

 

“Young Master Seijuurou is currently asleep. He will be fine,” Kazue said with a smile, but Tetsuya can tell that the smile was strained.

 

Seeing that Tetsuya was not convinced, Kazue sighed and told the truth. “Young Master has Cystic Fibrosis[vii], a medical condition that causes him to have thick mucus. The mucus can easily trap bacteria, causing him to have a lung infection.” Kazue said simply: there is no need to guilt trip Tetsuya by telling him about the weakened immune system.

 

The boy looked at Kazue with blank eyes before saying something that almost gave the Butler a heart attack. “Is Tetsuya fault that Juurou sick, right?”

 

“Wh-what are you talking about, Tetsuya-san?! Of course not—”

 

“Tetsuya… overheard Mi-do-ma[viii] and Kazu. Juurou stress… cause of Tetsuya, right?”

 

Kazue tried to refute that statement, but the seriousness on the younger boy’s face had him change his mind. “Yes, it is true that Young Master’s current condition is partly the result of the stress, but Tetsuya-san, know that you are not to be blamed for that. Your reaction to the situation was understandable; no one in the household would blame you for what happened.”

 

The former slave gave Kazue a look so devoid of emotion that the butler couldn't tell what the boy was thinking. He could only hope that the boy wouldn't blame himself.

 

“Why Juurou have Cys-thick Fye-bro-sis?” Tetsuya asked instead, taking great care to pronounce that unknown term.

 

“Hmm…” Kazue thought, standing up from the hammock. “May I request for you to follow me?” He asked.

 

Tetsuya wordlessly stood up and followed after the butler. His bare foot slapping against the grass as he ignored the dew and branches that he came into contact with. However, he didn’t walk long before the butler stopped again, suddenly turning to face the teal, causing the boy to knock into him.

 

“My apologies, Tetsuya-san. It was really thoughtless of me.” Kazue apologised, squatting in front of the boy to remove his shoes.

 

He gently supported the younger’s foot, slipping it into his much larger and finely polished shoes. Tetsuya, knowing Kazue’s intention, tried to resist.

 

“Kazu no! Tetsuya gone through more badder, Tetsuya can handle!” He tried to push the butler away.

 

However, the headstrong butler would not budge. “Tetsuya-san,” He explained seriously. “It doesn't matter what you had gone through or what was the worst you had endured. The fact now is that like the Young Master, you are also my charge, and hence I would do whatever necessary to reduce your discomfort.”

 

Tetsuya still refused. It felt strange for others to sacrifice for him. It had always been the other way around. He doesn't like causing trouble for others, nor does he like to be treated better than others. It was ingrained into his mind since his early years in slavery: Master gets all the goods; no causing trouble for master or you will be severely punished. Due to the harsh treatment that all the slaves received, they always help each other and split their resources equally – no one has special treatment. Hence, Kazue’s offering of shoe to him made him feel as though he is of a higher standing than Kazue, making the teal feel uncomfortable and guilty.

 

“Besides, I still have protections,” Kazue persuaded, pointing to his socks.

 

It took quite a while, with the two males staring at each other in a silent argument, before the former slave finally relented with a slow nod. Kazue was still wearing his socks, so it would not be that much of a sacrifice, and he wouldn't suffer as much, the boy reasoned.

 

The pair resumed their walk to the destination, the younger one slipping his hand into the elder one at some point.

 

Tetsuya’s gait was slightly awkward, being unaccustomed to the stiff and large size that was Kazue’s shoes.

 

Meanwhile, dew seeped into the butler's socks and small twigs stung the sole of his feet, making him extremely uncomfortable. However, he kept it with stride and ignored the discomfort.

 

Just like that, the two males walked hand-in-hand under the early morning sky, the elder leading the younger to a destination which would help the latter learn more about his beloved Juurou.

 

__________

 

“Kazu?” Tetsuya questioned when they stopped at their destination, his hand tightening his hold on the butler.

 

The butler stood a little in front of the teal, his gaze fixed onto a gravestone decorated with flowers. An elegant kanji was carved onto it, along with hiragana below which Tetsuya read as ‘Akashi Shiori’.

 

“Lady Shiori was a very kind and gentle lady.” Kazue started.

 

“She has a smile that would light up the skies and laughter that could lift broken spirits. She cared for everyone, and loved her husband and child dearly. However, Lady Shiori had poor health, more so after the birth of Young Master.

 

“She has Cystic Fibrosis, where she had unusually thick mucus which makes it easier for bacteria to be trapped. Her weak immune caused her to be susceptible various infections.

 

“Young Master Seijuurou got his condition from her. Though, he showed less of the symptoms and his immune system is generally strong enough to fight against the bacteria. However, they tend to weaken drastically when he is stressed.”

 

Kazue paused a while to collect his thoughts, and when he continued, his voice sounded rough.

 

“You know, the hammock you were sleeping on was bought by her. The gardens around this mansion was also attended by her. We hired gardeners to help her with the planting, but she often insisted in helping. Lady Shiori simply loved the outside, and anything that is alive.

 

“On days where she wasn't ill, Lady Shiori would sit in the hammock with the Young Master, both covered in blankets and swinging gently in the wind while she sang tunes and enjoyed the scenery.

 

“I believe, if she was still alive, she would have loved you very much, Tetsuya-san.” When Kazue turned around to face him, Tetsuya saw that he had tears in his eyes, and the smile he wore was a mixture of longing and pain.

 

“Even though she is not with us now, I am sure she is still watching over us somewhere. That's why, I am certain that Young Master Seijuurou would get better. Because Lady Shiori would watch over him.”

 

__________

 

_It was not unusual for them to witness death. Given the tough conditions they were in, it was easy for them to catch viruses, especially since their malnutrition caused their immune system to be weak._

 

_Master would always abandon the slave that had fallen ill or was too injured to survive. It was either you die or recover and serve him. At some point of their life there, they would be affected by an illness or a major injury at least once. The stronger ones recover and continue their life in living hell. The weaker ones succumb to illness and go to the hell after death._

 

_The healthy slaves would often try to secure food and water for the sick slaves, but sometimes, those are not enough for recovery. During Tetsuya’s time as a slave, he had seen death twice._

 

_The first time he witnessed death, Tetsuya was too young to actually know what had happened. He was only six years old when an earthquake strike, causing the house to collapse. A slave had saved him from being crushed by the debris, though she was not able to free herself in time before flames engulfed the entire mansion **[ix]**._

 

_The second time he witnessed death, however, he was old enough to remember everything, and was close to the victim enough to feel pain._

 

_His master had always been unpredictable and prone to anger. On days where he was stressed or angry, he would look for a slave to hit and play with. On one particular day, Master was annoyed with his job. Based on what Tetsuya had heard, he had lost a huge sum of money at the ‘casino’. The slave wondered why his master kept returning to the ‘casino’ job if all that ever happened was him losing money and coming home angry and abusive._

 

_Tetsuya happened to be running a high fever due to an infected wound that day, hence the other slaves worked together to cover his part of the job so that the child could get as much rest as possible._

 

_A teen slave whose face was blurred to Tetsuya was covering his job of serving alcohol for the mayor when it all began._

 

_Their master had broken one of the bones in her leg long ago. She never had the bone set back properly, causing her bones to heal incorrectly. This caused her to experience pain when walking, resulting in a slight limp._

 

_Somehow, her limping had annoyed the master that day, leading to him directing all his anger at the girl. He gripped one of the alcohol bottles on the tray in her hands and smashed it against her head, resulting in several deep incisions and bruises._

 

_The female slave screamed as blood flowed down her head. The pain was horrendous. Even more annoyed by her anguished screams, the master gripped her tightly by the throat to silence her. He then proceeded to drag the girl by her neck into his room._

 

_The girl did not return until the next day, when Tetsuya’s fever dropped enough for him to work without feeling light-headed. When the girl entered the slaves’ rest area, which was just a small empty room, with a limp that was different from her usual one and with bruises marring her thighs, all the other slaves gave her a sorry look and pat her on the shoulder. The innocent Tetsuya asked if she was okay, only to be dragged off by another slave. He didn’t know what happened, didn’t know why the girl look so lifeless and ghostly. Neither did he understood what she meant when she told him, in a voice so soft and broken, to be careful of their master. Not until several years later, when the similar fate happened to him._

 

_Very late into the night, when all the slave retreated to the room, they were met with a scene of gore and a horrid stench of blood. The older slaves tried to cover Tetsuya’s eyes to protect whatever innocence he still had in the cruel life that they lived, but they were too slow. He had saw everything. He saw the eyeball that popped out of her eye socket. He saw the swell and scratches that covered her other eyelid, and a deep cut along her throat that was the source of all the blood covering the floor. He saw the culprit of the gore— the sharp, metallic object that laid in her slack hands, and her fingernails caked with blood._

 

_Tetsuya stood at the side and stared, eyes wide, as the slaves around him lowered the lifeless girl into a hole that they spent hours digging with their hands. They then gathered the pile of soil and flung it back into the hole, over the girl. The boy looked on as dirt covered parts of the girl, the amount of dirt slowly growing until not a part of her could be seen. He stared blankly as the others work quickly to cover up the hole, one of the slaves turned around to ask him to get to work, only to change her mind suddenly. The teal slave didn’t know why waters flowed from his eyes, he didn’t know why his chest hurt. But like the slave that had saved him before, he never seen the girl ever again._

 

_Somehow, the scene felt all weird and twisty all of the sudden. The space warped and swished until he was back where the slaves started to scope piles of dirt to throw into the hole. However, when he looked into the hole, it wasn’t the blurred face of the girl, but his beloved Juurou that was lying in it, lifeless._

 

____________

 

Tetsuya startled awake, crying profusely and hiccupping softly. He felt excruciating pain in his chest. The same pain he experienced when the slaves covered the girl up. Only this time, he knew why he felt this way.

 

Juurou used to always wake up whenever Tetsuya had nightmares. He would sit with him, cuddle him and hum songs until he calmed down and fall back asleep. However, the redhead was currently sleeping deeply, with the gentle whirring of the oxygen tank forcing air into his lungs. Tetsuya shivered when he recalled his dream of the redhead lying in the hole of dirt.

 

‘Juurou don't belong there.’ The blue haired boy thought resolutely as he climbed out of the bed, careful not to disturb the other boy.

 

Running out into the Akashi garden, Tetsuya nearly tripped over a tree root that camouflaged with the grass and the night sky. Quickly covering his mouth to prevent him from making noise after stubbing his toes, he regained his balance and froze in his position, making sure that no one had heard him. Though everyone in the mansion was asleep, there were still guards on night duty patrolling around the estate, and the last thing he wanted was to alert them of his presence, lest they inform Kazu. Kazu would make him go back to bed, but Tetsuya had his reasons for coming here.

 

Continuing his way and making sure to avoid any other sneaky roots, Tetsuya finally reached his destination. The garden in this part of the estate was slightly different from the rest. The flowers here were selected carefully, paying great amount of attention to its colour and aesthetic appeal. They held a soft and sweet smelling scent. In the middle of this beautiful garden lies a stone in a mini shrine. This is Akashi Shiori’s garden, and her final resting spot.

 

Tetsuya grabbed his chest to control his panting. He gingerly head into the small shrine and squat in front of the gravestone. Memories of his visit with Kazue two days ago flashed through his mind.

 

Kazu had told him that Akashi Shiori was a very kind and gentle lady, and that she loves her son immensely. The butler also told him that the soul of Shiori will always be watching over them. Tetsuya hoped that she is seeing everything now.

 

The scene of Juurou lying in the hole invaded his thoughts, and Tetsuya reached out trembling fingers to touch the gravestone.

 

The stone was polished smoothly and was cool to the touch. Carefully, he brought his fingers to trace over the engraved hiragana characters of her name.

 

“A-ka-shi Shi-o-ri,” Tetsuya started, taking great care to pronounce the name correctly. “if you watching over Juurou now, please help Juurou.”

 

Tears slid down Tetsuya’s cheeks as he gasped his words out.

 

“Please help Juurou! Juurou died in Tetsuya dream. Tetsuya no want Juurou dead. Tetsuya wants to be with Juurou. Wants to cuddle with Juurou and play with Juurou. Tetsuya will be gooder! Tetsuya beg you!”

 

Tetsuya couldn't hold himself any longer and began wailing uncontrollably. He sat in the seiza position, his head touching the ground. That was what he had to do when he begged his master for forgiveness, and that is what he is doing now, to beg Auntie Shiori for help.

 

Cool, midnight wind blew through the garden gently, making the flowers sway peacefully with the wind. It was as if the wind was trying but failing to cheer the boy up as he continued to sob into the ground. The gentle wind never reached him, for the small shrine he was in prevented the wind from reaching him. He didn't know how much time had passed, and he didn't care. He just cried and beg and cried and beg.

 

And that's where he was found, several hours later, when Kazue came searching for the missing boy.

 

Had Akashi Shiori been alive, she would have been heartbroken to witness such a scene.

 

 

* * *

 

 

[i] This is how Kazue’s loungewear look like:

 

image from: http://personacentral.com/persona-5-dlc-costume-image-gallery/

[ii] IV drip and IV machine

[iii] Finger pulse oximeter. The strange moving lines is the pulse graph

[iv] Electrocardiogram aka ECG

[v] Blood pressure machine

[vi] This is how the hammock look like:  
Imagine it with lots of fluffy pillow and a small shelter!

 

image from: http://www.lola-haengematten.de/amazonas-globo-royal-chair-gruen-wetterfest/p-1509.html

[vii] I do not know much about Cystic Fibrosis. Most of the information are taken from the internet. I apologise if my lack of understanding and knowledge had offended anyone

[viii] Mi-do-ma refers to Midorima’s father. Tetsuya refers to Midorima Shintaro as Mini Mi-do-ma.

[ix] She is a same slave mentioned in chapter 14

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really like how this chapter end, but oh well...
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!  
> Thank you for your support!


	25. Chapter 25: Thank you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He knows that Tetsuya misses Akashi's touch, misses the pat on the head, the cuddle when he had nightmares. Kazue did whatever he could to give Tetsuya the physical touch that he needs, but he knows that it is different from the one his young master gives.  
> He could do nothing but watch as Tetsuya raised the unconscious Young Master's hand to pat his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: OOCness, medical inaccuracies

**Chapter 25: Thank you**

 

Kazue stood by Akashi’s door, staring sadly at the scene before him. Tetsuya was sitting on the bed beside his Juurou, idly playing with the redhead’s slack fingers. He held Akashi’s palm in his hands, folding and unfolding his fingers. He then bent down and lifted Akashi’s hand, placing the hand on top of his head in a patting motion. It was extremely obvious that he missed Akashi and his touch – something that not even Kazue can give to the boy.

 

Sure, the boy would occasionally look for him when he was upset or had nightmare and needed comfort. Sometimes, he would look for him for a hug or take his hand to pat his head. But no matter how much physical contact Kazue provided for the boy, it was not the same compared to the one that came from his Young Master.

 

Kazue watched on as Tetsuya removed Akashi’s palm from his head and nuzzled his face into said palm. The knowledge of not being able to help both of them hurt him tremendously. He had never felt so useless before.

 

Last night, when he came into the room to check on the Young Master, Kazue noticed that Tetsuya was not in the room. Only Nigou[i] was left, abandoned beside the redhead. Worried that Tetsuya could be running around outside in such late hours of the night, he did a quick check on his master’s condition before hurrying out to look for the teal.

 

The first place he went to was the guard house. No matter where you came from, you will have to go pass the guard house in order to enter or exit the estate. Even if Tetsuya is as elusive as all the maids claimed him to be, there is no way for him to sneak out of the residence without the guards noticing. Those guards are highly trained professionals. In addition to their strict and tight security, they were taught to never overlook the smallest of details. Hence, when the guards told him that they had not seen Tetsuya around, Kazue trusted their words. Now, assured with the knowledge that Tetsuya had not left the estate, Kazue went back into the mansion to look for him.

 

The next place he went to was the small common area that his Young Master and Tetsuya frequented. They had a larger, main common area for both its guests and its occupants, but his young master always preferred the small, cozy common room located at the side of the mansion.

 

No teal-head to be found.

 

He checked the kitchen next, which was at the other end of the mansion. Tetsuya would sometimes sit in the kitchen and chat with the cooks and watch them prepare meals. Even though the cook wouldn’t be in the kitchen at this hour, he could have come here to clear his mind or daydream.

 

Not a single soul to be found.

 

Kazue went to his room to check. Occasionally, Tetsuya would stay in his room to wait for him if he had any questions. That was also the place that the boy would sometimes be found in when Young Master Seijuurou isn't around.

 

It was completely untouched.

 

Kazue thought hard on the other possible places he could be in. After all the trainings he had received as a trainee Butler, he had learned to identify people's behaviours, mannerisms and habits that not even the person in question may be aware of. His accurate prediction and judgement was what landed him the role of serving the next-in-line. Based on what he had observed about the teal, he would not be found in places where he was not familiar with. Hence, he began to list down all the places where the teal had been to before, and crossed out the places he had checked. That left him with one more place in the mansion and that was the Household helpers’ common area – the place where Tetsuya found him on the night where his Young Master first showed symptoms of a chest infection.

 

Utterly devoid of any human being.

 

Given that the former slave wasn't in the mansion and did not leave the estate, Kazue’s mind immediately supplied the remaining possible places the teal could be in.

 

But just before he went out to look for the boy, Kazue went back to his Young Master’s room to do a final check, just in case he had made a mistake and had completely missed the teal.

 

Still no blue haired boy.

 

Checking the en suite toilet to confirm that yes, indeed, he wasn't in here, Kazue turned and head out of the mansion. The only possible place left was the Akashi gardens.

 

__________

 

The Akashi estate has a huge garden, thanks to their Lady who had loved Mother Nature and anything alive. The garden can be seen as three separate garden with bridges and mini waterfalls and paths that links the gardens together.

 

Tetsuya was only familiar with one part of the garden and that was the old garden where he had built soil castles in while the gardener was planning on replanting the area.

 

The area was empty and without a single footprint.

 

Kazue went to check on the second part of the garden, the one with the hammock which was located near the car park. Kazue highly doubted Tetsuya would be there, since he had only ever visited that place once.

 

Indeed, there were no indications that someone had been there.

 

So that left with the last part of the garden, hidden at the back of the mansion and extremely well taken care of: the final resting spot of Lady Akashi Shiori’s ashes, as well as her garden. The emerald-eyed Butler strongly doubted the teal would be found there, especially since it was rather far from the mansion main gate and Tetsuya had no reason to be there. However, as that was the only place he had yet to check, Kazue decided to give the place a try. If Tetsuya still wasn't there, he would mobilise the household helpers for a more thorough search.

 

The weather had gotten rather cold at this time of the night and even the winds brought chill to Kazue, who was still in his multi-layered Butler attire. As he walked along the same path that he took with Tetsuya just a day ago, Kazue found himself thinking about the events that led to that. Tetsuya had somehow found the hammock and had fallen asleep there. His worry for the young master had led to Kazue telling him about the deceased Lady.

 

Back then, Tetsuya did not bring a blanket with him either, and that memory had Kazue made plans to lecture the boy about self-preservation and care.

 

However, that plan never got into motion.

 

As he neared the centre of the garden, he heard a soft sobbing noise. He quickened his pace until he reached the shrine, noticing the door to the shrine opened and the source of the sobbing coming from the inside.

 

Looking into the shrine, what he saw broke his heart completely. Tetsuya-san was lying dogeza right in front of the grave, with small, unclear whimpers of ‘please’ and ‘help’ coming from him.

 

Whatever chiding he planned to give to Tetsuya had dissolved into nothingness.

 

“Te-tsuya-san...” Kazue choked as he quickly approached the boy.

 

“Tetsuya-san?” He called out softly, gently patting on the boy’s back so as not to startle the boy.

 

There was no direct response to his calling.

 

Carefully, Kazue lifted the boy up from his dogeza position and straightened his legs to allow blood to flow better. Tetsuya’s body was rather stiff when he tried to reposition it – a testament to how long the boy had been in that position for. The butler tilted the boy’s head up to face him, once again softly calling out his name.

 

Still no response.

 

Kazue patted Tetsuya on the cheeks, hoping that a little stimulus could wake him up. However, upon contact with his cheeks, the man ended up being shocked at just how cold the boy’s skin was. His eyes were red and swollen from tears, and his lips were very pale. His breathing was shallow, and his body was also trembling, one that wasn’t as obvious when he was hunched over before. His mumblings were also getting less and less audible.

 

Gears in Kazue’s mind turned as his mind struggled to recall first aid for hypothermia. His worry for not finding Tetsuya in time had hindered his thought process.

 

“Keep him warm… Keep him warm...” Kazue mumbled as he removed his butler’s outer jacket.

 

_Had he not come to check on Young Master Seijuurou..._

 

“I need to keep him warm...”

 

_Had he not check Lady Shiori’s garden..._

 

He draped his outer jacket over the boy’s back, making sure to cover the shoulders.

 

_Had he found the boy any later…_

 

“I… what else…? Keep him warm...body heat?”

 

_Tetsuya’s body temperature could have dropped so low…_

 

His nervous-filled trembling fingers struggled to unbutton his white dress shirt.

 

_He could have died..._

 

“Right, I need to move him carefully… If not, his heartbeat might become irregular...”

 

_He could have died…_

 

He carried the teal like a toddler, chest-against-chest as he pulled the jacket around the boy tighter towards him, hoping that the combination of human body heat and jacket could keep the heat in.

 

_He could have easily died…_

 

He scooped up his phone from his pocket.

 

_Tetsuya…_

 

“Th-this is Kazue. I have an e-emergency! I need you to...”

 

_Could have died…_

 

_Just like that…_

 

____________

 

Kazue quickly placed Tetsuya down beside the Akashi heir, removing his jacket and covering him up in fluffy comforter. Some of the household helpers gathered around quickly, each holding a bucket of warm water and towels to give the boy a warm wipe down.

 

The emerald-eyed man quickly fixed his dress shirt, though abandoning his jacket as he ushered Doctor Midorima in to check on the teal. Seconds ticked by as Doctor Midorima checked Tetsuya thoroughly, occasionally humming to himself.

 

“It’s still too early to say for sure, but for now, it seemed like Tetsuya-kun is out of trouble. Seijuurou-kun, as well, seemed to be recovering rather well. I will reduce a bit of his sedatives and see how it goes.” Was all that he said.

 

As he led the doctor out of the mansion and closed the door behind him, Kazue signed and lean against the door. He felt so exhausted, so tired, as if he had aged by several years. He felt empty as he headed back into Seijuurou’s room. Kazue saw a group of maids still trying to warm the teal with warm towels.

 

He headed towards them to assist, only to be pushed away by one of them. “Go rest now, Kazue-san. I can tell from your eyes that you haven’t had a good rest recently. Leave this to us, we will call for you if anything happens.”

 

Kazue hesitated, a little reluctant, before he finally nodded, turning around and heading towards his room like a zombie.

 

When his door finally closed behind him, Kazue allowed himself to break down, because how could he rest when both of his charges are suffering like that?

 

__________

 

Kazue ran his hand through his hair and sighed quietly. He should have lectured Tetsuya about dressing warmly when going outside at night, but seeing how upset he was over the Young Master’s illness, he hasn’t had the heart to scold Tetsuya.

 

Moreover, once he had recovered from his hypothermia, he hardly talked, barely ate. He just sat on the bed beside the redhead and watched him. The butler has yet to see Tetsuya walking around or talking for the past two days.

 

Leaving the boy to their own, the butler gently closed the door to the heir’s room. He walked aimlessly, wandering around and lost in his own thoughts. The entire household had been in low spirit since the young heir had lung infection, and more so after seeing how the former slave was so heartbroken at the sickly scion.

 

“Kazue.” A man called his name.

 

The butler turned his head to the source of the voice and his eyes widened at the man standing before him.

 

“M-Master Akashi!” Kazue exclaimed. He hadn’t received any news of his arrival, so seeing Masaomi was a huge surprise to him.

 

“My apologies for not welcoming you, sir. I wasn’t aware of your arrival. I had thought that you were still in States, sir.” Kazue bowed.

 

The Akashi head raised a hand to stop the apology. “Don’t worry about it. It was a sudden decision of mine to return here for a short while. How is Seijuurou doing?”

 

Kazue stepped a little behind the head as he gestured in the direction of the heir’s room. “Doctor Midorima said that he is recovering well, sir. He had reduced the sedatives in his drip, but so far, he has yet to awaken.”

 

“I see.” He curtly replied. “Kazue, when was the last time you had a proper rest?” He changed the subject instead.

 

“Guh?” Kazue dumbly responded. “I-I... uh...it’s…?”

 

“Kazue...” Masaomi ordered. “Go get some rest.”

 

“But-- uh...sir--!”

 

“I am grateful for your dedication towards Seijuurou, Kazue. But you need to take care of your own health too. You won’t be able to serve my son well if you are exhausted and unwell. Your face is haggard, your eyes are bloodshot and there are bags under them. I am sure Seijuurou would not be happy if he sees you like this. Go get some rest _now_.”

 

“Yes sir...” Kazue relented, bowing to the Akashi head before heading back to his quarters, leaving the red-headed male to get into his son’s room alone.

 

When he reached the room, Masaomi gently knocked on the door to alert its occupants of his presence. He hadn’t seen the teal former slave around, so he reckoned that the boy would be in this room.

 

Indeed, he was correct, as he always is.

 

The first thing he saw upon opening the door was the sight of the teal boy sitting beside his son and holding his hand. When the boy’s eyes landed on the elder Akashi, he lowered his eye and cowered away.

 

“Tetsuya, is it.” The stern-looking man called.

 

The smallest of the male jerked, his grip on his son’s hand becoming tighter.

 

“This is our second meeting, isn’t it?”

 

Seeing the boy’s look of confusion, Masaomi elaborated himself. “Well, you weren’t exactly lucid when we first met. You were having a psychogenic fever, or so my son said. You mistook me for my son back then. I am Akashi Masaomi, Seijuurou’s father.”

 

Tetsuya recalled back to the time when he last had his fever. He remembered waking up and missing his Juurou. It was cold without the blanket, so he dragged it along with him to find Juurou. He remembered seeing Juurou from a distance away and went towards him for a hug.

 

His face paled when his mind realised that perhaps, the person he had hugged then wasn’t Juurou but that scary man instead. Tetsuya cowered again as Masaomi stepped closer.

 

“Are you afraid of me?” The red headed man hummed. “Don’t worry, I won’t bite. Not at you, anyway.”

 

He turned his head to look at his son, lying on bed, oxygen mask attached as he slept through the entire conversation.

 

“If you don’t mind, Tetsuya, could you give me and my son some time alone?”

 

The teal boy somehow knew that that was an order instead of a request – his years in slavery had taught him how to differentiate between tones. Obeying the order, Tetsuya placed Juurou’s hand back onto the bed before climbing off and casting an unsure look at the stern male behind him. Finally, he left the room and closed the door.

 

Masaomi had his eyes closed, waiting for a moment before he headed towards the corner of the room to drag his son’s relaxation chair to the bedside. Sitting at the edge of the chair, he peered closely at his son’s face.

 

“Seijuurou...” He mumbled to himself. “When I heard that you had fallen into coma, I nearly had a heart attack. Your condition had never been so serious to the point of coma before.”

 

His eyes trailed along the tires and tubes that are connected from the machines to his son. “The last time something like this happened, Shiori never returned.”

 

He took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling.

 

“I first met her in Midorima’s[ii] hospital. I was visiting your grandfather when I accidentally walked in on her. The nursing counter had made a mistake and gave me the number to her room instead. Back then, her smile was as bright as ever. She always said that she would smile enough for both of us, since I don’t really smile much. We knew that childbirth would worsen her health, but your grandfather had insisted on an Akashi heir with the Akashi blood.

 

“While she was pregnant, she always talks about how she wants to be a good mother and make you the happiest child alive. She said that the Akashi family might be harsh with your upbringing, so she would make sure to be there for you all the time. She even made me promise to go easy on you.

 

“I told her I don’t know how to be a good father, but I promised I would do my best… Look at where that brought me now.”

 

A bitter laugh, followed by a short silence.

 

“I didn’t know how to show my concern for you, so I piled expectations after expectations. That’s how my parents brought me up, so that’s what I did to you too. I had never expected for you to grow distant from me as a result.

 

“On the day of your Winter Cup finals, I told you not to come home unless you have a champion trophy, and you told me that you will not lose, and that you will kill everyone, even me, if I ever stand in your way. That’s when I realised that I had destroyed our relationship so much that we are hardly even family anymore.

 

“I waited that night for your return to have a long talk with you, but you never did. I couldn’t reach you by your phone, so I called your coach. He told me you said you were waiting for me to arrive at the stadium, so Rakuzan left without you. At that moment, I couldn’t understand why you would lie. Shirogane then told me that Rakuzan had lost for the first time in ages, and that you had lost your composure during the game, but you recovered quickly and that it was the most intense match he had ever seen in his whole life. He was so worried when I told him that we did not plan for any meet ups, nor had you returned home yet. And he wanted me to tell you not to blame yourself for Rakuzan’s loss.

 

“I was so worried about you, I had no idea where you could be, and neither did I expect you to take my words so seriously. It wasn’t until after midnight that you returned, exhausted and covered in sweat. Your only words for me were that you had lost, and as a result, was willing to pay the price and be disowned. I felt so much disappointment then. I brought you to such extent that I had never been more disappointed in myself before[iii]. Nothing hurts more than when you promised me that you won’t lose anymore after I told you that I won’t disown you. I had no idea how I should face your mother after that.

 

“Shiori was right: You really are a sensible child. You spent your whole life trying to live up to my expectations without complaints.”

 

Masaomi lifted a hand to stroke at his son’s soft red hair.

 

“You really do resemble her…”

 

Masaomi immediately removed his hand from his son’s head from shock when the boy turned his head. The boy’s eyebrows knitted as he stirred awake, opening hazy red eyes and stare at the ceiling cluelessly. The younger Akashi started coughing, and the elder Akashi immediately leaned over to pat at his son’s chest.

 

“Seijuurou… How are you feeling?” He hovered over his son.

 

The child looked at his father’s face in a daze. “Father...” He mumbled, still slightly out of touch with reality. It took him a while to recognise his surroundings. He remembered hearing Kazue calling his name desperately when he choked something out. He wanted to respond to his calls, assure the butler that he was fine, but he had a hard time breathing. His lungs burned and he was struggling to gasp breath after breath. After that, all that he remembered was a peaceful calm that surrounded him.

 

Akashi closed his eyes and sighed. He knew what had happened now. He had probably succumbed to his medical condition… or something similar. That was bound to happen given the amount of stress he had been going through, and that was exactly what Kazue was worried about. It seemed like he owed Kazue an apology later.

 

Opening his eyes, he turned his head to face his father. “Father, I apologise for having you see me in such a state.” He struggled to sit up with all the wires attached to him, removing the oxygen mask so that it would not muffled his voice. “This won’t happen again, I assure you that. I will recover quickly and—”

 

Before he would finish his sentence, his body was racked with cough. The elder Akashi felt his body turned cold at the thought of his son still concerned about image and victory despite being weak from illness. What had he taught his son…

 

Masaomi placed the oxygen mask back on his son’s face before gently pushing him back onto the pillows. Having been in coma for while a while, Akashi’s frail body easily fell back onto the bed, cause the boy to open his eyes again in confusion.

 

“Don’t worry about apologising. Just focus on recovering first. Besides, I think there is someone who wants to talk to you more than I do.” Masaomi said, hiding the pain by adding some amusement in his voice as he looked at the direction of the door. Akashi followed suit and his tired eyes widened at the sight of the teal boy peeking from behind the door.

 

“I will leave you two to it,” Masaomi said, standing up and dusting invisible dirt off his suit. Heading towards the former slave, Masaomi opened the door wider to reveal the teal in his full body. “Go on, you wanted to talk to my son, don’t you?” He left without waiting for a response.

 

Tetsuya continued to stare at the elder Akashi until he disappeared off the steps before gathering his courage and tip-toed into Juurou’s room.

 

“Juurou…?” He called out uncertainly.

 

“Tetsuya...” The sick boy responded simply.

 

The room soon fell into silence, so awkward it was hard to breathe.

 

Akashi moved a little uncomfortable with the silence. “I—”

 

Before he could even start his sentence, he was interrupted by the teal pounding onto him and hugging him tightly. “Juurou! Tetsuya sorry! Sorry not talking to Juurou. Tetsuya not angry at Juurou, really! Sorry sorry, please don’t die!”

 

Akashi laid on the bed with his eyes huge, stunned at what the other boy had told him. He closed his eyes and breathed out slowly, bringing a weak hand to cup the other’s head. “No...” His voice was still rough and weak. “I am the one who should apologise. I am sorry, Tetsuya. I know more than anyone what pain you had gone through in the past, yet I was too impatient to have you understand me. Your reaction is understandable. I am at fault—” Akashi suddenly gave a violent cough, scaring the soul out of Tetsuya.

 

“No no no!” The former slave waved his hands frantically. “Juurou no talk! Tetsuya sorry! Tetsuya fault!” When he saw that Akashi was about to open his mouth to rebut him, both of Tetsuya’s hand came down to slap at each side of Akashi’s cheeks, causing red boy to blink in surprise. Realising what he had done, Tetsuya flew into another fit of apologies. “Ack! Sorry Juurou! Sorry Juurou!”

 

Akashi looked at the hysterical Tetsuya and burst out laughing. It was a breathless and weak laughter, but it was enough to silence Tetsuya. “Juurou?” Tetsuya asked rather worriedly. He was afraid that he had broken his beloved Juurou.

 

The redhead shook his head, smiling at the teal. “I am at fault; you are at fault. Since both of us are at fault, let’s end this saga here.”

 

He was rewarded with a bright-Tetsuya smile before the face was buried into his chest. He patted Tetsuya’s head, an action that the smaller male missed so much he let out a sound of pure delight.

 

__________

 

“Young Master, Dr Midorima said it won’t be long till you are cured of the infection, thank goodness!” Kazue said as he took a small empty bowl of nutritional soup from Akashi.

 

“Mhmm-hm...” Akashi mumbled tiredly.

 

“Juurou be better?” Tetsuya perked up from beside the redhead. “Yay!” He threw his arm up into the air. “Thank you Shiori!”

 

“Hmm? What’s this about victory…[iv]?” Akashi turned to face Tetsuya, his eyes half-closed and closed to sleep.

 

Tetsuya slapped his hand over his mouth and looked at Kazue with panic.

 

“Ah, no,” Kazue smoothly covered up, silently thankful that his Young Master had misheard the boy. “Tetsuya-san was glad that victory had sided with us.”

 

“Mhmm...” Akashi gave one last sound before falling asleep, his hand falling slack in Tetsuya’s.

 

That night, when the entire mansion was asleep, Tetsuya sneaked out of bed again to Akashi Shiori’s garden. He stopped to pluck some wild flowers from the grass before heading towards the shrine.

 

Opening the door to the shrine, he gave one deep, enthusiastic bow to the photo of the smiling lady. “Thank you for helping Juurou, Shiori! Juurou is all better now!” He placed the small wild flowers in front of the incense, gave one last bow and closed the door carefully before dashing back to bed where Juurou was sleeping.

 

On his way back into the mansion, gentle wind ruffled through the boy’s teal strands.

 

* * *

 

 

[i]   Please do not forget that Nigou here is a soft toy

[ii]  This Midorima refers to Midorima Shintarou’s father

[iii]  During an interview with Kuroko as the interviewer, Kuroko asked about his family’s reaction to his(Akashi’s) loss in the Winter Cup. Akashi responded that his father seemed disappointed. In this story, Masaomi was disappointed with himself, but Akashi didn’t know that thought the disappointment was at him for losing.

[iv] shouri, written as 勝利, means victory in Japanese. Akashi’s mother’s official name, Shiori, is written as 詩織. When you read ‘Shiori’ fast enough or did not hear it properly, it may sound like ‘shori’, which was what Akashi had misheard as

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real smooth, Tetsuya, real smooth and adorable.  
> By the way, people don't really put wild flowers at the grave. Tetsuya did that because he is Tetsuya and didn't know what flowers should be placed there.
> 
> I am not sure how much emotions there are in this chapter. It was hard for me to write, but their long saga of misunderstanding is finally over! YAY! Time to start on the next arc.
> 
> Please do comment! I love your comments! It keeps me going :)


	26. Chapter 26: Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite knowing Tetsuya after more than half a year, there were still a lot more to Tetsuya’s trauma than what Akashi had witnessed so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of past trauma, blood play and phobias.

**Chapter 26: Outside**

 

“That's right, you are doing great. Support your weight with your arms and swing them forward.”

 

Tetsuya looked on with great interest as he swung his leg back and forth from the edge of the bed. Both Akashi and Kuroko were reading – Akashi, his textbook for what's left of his examinations, and Tetsuya, a picture book – when a physical therapist came by to teach the redhead about using the crutches.

 

Technically speaking, there was little that the physical therapist could teach to the Akashi heir. The moment he touched the crutches, he could immediately move around like it had been a part of him for years. The therapist hardly need to give any pointers. What she was doing was actually just part of the hospital requirement and protocol to educate patients on the safety precautions.

 

“Now, try not to carry too much items, and be sure not to use your injured leg as much as possible. Be very careful during wet days where the floor would be slippery. Here is a pamphlet for the other safety precautions. Be sure to read them through and call the hospital if you have any questions.”

 

“Ah, will do. Thank you very much.” Akashi took the pamphlet and set it aside.

 

“If there is nothing else, I shall see myself out.” The therapist gave a polite bow before walking out of Akashi’s room.

 

Akashi smoothly walked back to his bed where Tetsuya was. Seeing the teal staring at his crutches with intense interest made him smile. Ever since after they had made up, Tetsuya refused to leave Akashi’s side, wanting to help the boy as much as possible.

 

“Juurou!” Tetsuya cried with affection as he pounced onto the limping redhead when he was closer to the bed.

 

In addition to his injured leg, Akashi’s body was still weak due to long periods of inactivity. Hence, that huge pounce of affection caused Akashi to fall over and landed on the bed, the teal burying in face into the warm chest.

 

Akashi gave a breathless laugh as all the air got knocked out of his lungs during the fall. He patted Tetsuya’s head, idly playing with the strands. The former slave made a noise of contentment, like the human version of a purring cat.

 

“Tetsuya-san!” Kazue chided with horror. “Please, ease up on the Young Master. His leg is still injured!”

 

Tetsuya looked up from Akashi’s chest to give the butler a dirty look.

 

The injured boy chuckled at the other’s antics. “You worry too much, Kazue.” He turned his head to face the butler. “Besides, I landed on the bed, so all is well. Tetsuya very likely took that into account too, before he jumped.”

 

Tetsuya got off Akashi to lay beside him on the bed. “Mhmm-hm. Kazu get old faster if Kazu worry lots!”

 

Kazue faked a splutter, arousing a carefree laughter from the former slave. “Just doing my job, Young Master.” The butler growled, shooting a playful mean look at Tetsuya.

 

The boy retaliated by sticking his tongue out and giggling again.

 

“Call me if you need anything,” Kazue said softly, kindly, as he gave the scene of the two boys getting along a tender smile before excusing himself.

 

Still lying on the bed with his head turned to face the door, Akashi returned the smile. “I know.” He whispered. “Thank you.”

 

__________

 

When Akashi Seijuurou opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the ceiling of his room. Except, the lights were facing the wrong direction. Blinking in confusion, Akashi turned his head to see that he had fallen asleep with his legs dangling down the bed.

 

He felt a warm heat on his right side and turned to see the teal all nicely snuggled against his right arm, a thumb in his mouth as he slept like a log. Akashi tilted his body towards Tetsuya, bringing a hand to gently stroke at the soft blue hair.

 

“His hair has gotten quite long...” Akashi mused, gently running fingers through the long strands. The last time he had had a haircut, it was the day they first met. Akashi had brought the boy home to clean up before having a medical check-up. The boy’s hair was so matted he couldn’t comb through, and hence he had to cut the matted hair off.

 

Akashi snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed big blue eyes staring at him.

 

“Hm?” Akashi smiled at the boy.

 

“Juurou!” Tetsuya squealed and hugged Akashi tightly around the neck. He rubbed his face against the other, inciting laughter from the redhead.

 

“Good afternoon, Tetsuya. It seemed like both of us had fallen asleep.”

 

“Afternoon~” Tetsuya cooed after the Akashi heir. He took the other’s hand and placed it on top of his head. Knowing what he wanted, Akashi chuckled again and pat the teal head.

 

“Your hair has gotten rather long, Tetsuya.” Akashi smiled. He brought his hand back to his own head. “Mine too.”

 

Tetsuya looked up at his fringe and pulled it over his eyes. “What to do?” He tilted his head.

 

“We have a private hair stylist here, but how about we go out to get a haircut?” Akashi smiled. Seeing Tetsuya’s confused face, Akashi got his crutches and gestured the boy to follow.

 

__________

 

Getting Kazue’s permission to go out was so difficult, it almost left Akashi mentally exhausted. The moment the word ‘out’ left his mouth, Kazue suddenly transformed into a cartoon character or some sort, widely gesturing and pointing and talking about ‘danger’ and ‘rest’ and more ‘rest’.

 

Tetsuya stared with confusion and concern when the Kazu he liked started behaving weirdly. Akashi had to hold back his chuckle at the teal’s reaction before quietly waiting for Kazue to calm down.

 

“It’s just the small town near Rakuzan, Kazue, and it’s only some walking distance away, not even the Kyoto City downhill. Besides, Tetsuya haven’t really been out since he first came, and some fresh air would be good for me too.”

 

Kazue thought for a long, long time before he reluctantly agreed, though, on the condition that the two boys bundled themselves up warmly and to call him immediately should anything happen.

 

__________

 

“Juurou...” Tetsuya whined pitifully.

 

Akashi turned to look at Tetsuya only to laugh at the other’s state. The boy had somehow got himself tangled in a scarf, the long piece of cloth wrapping around his neck and waist and the wool getting caught by the jacket zip.

 

The redhead adjusted his own jacket before limping over to the boy, slowly removing the scarf from the zip before carefully untangling the boy. He then straightened the boy’s jacket, zipping them up properly and then wrapping the scarf around the neck.

 

“There you go,” Akashi smiled, standing back to look at his handiwork.

 

Tetsuya looked unhappy swaddled up in autumn attire, but brightened and trotted Akashi when the redhead pointed to the main door.

 

“Whoa!” The teal exclaimed when he walked out of the mansion. The weather is cool enough to feel the early autumn wind yet not too cold to the point of a cold. Tetsuya ran out, looking at the trees that were slowly turning orange in awe. “Juurou, Juurou! Look! Trees!” Tetsuya shouted, pointing vigorously at the Akashi trees.

 

Akashi smiled and nodded his head, showing that he was listening to Tetsuya. Deep inside, his heart hurt at seeing the boy’s reactions to his surroundings. He was sure that this was not the first autumn the boy had experience, but this was probably the first autumn he had noticed. His life in slavery was so horrible all he thought about was how to please his master and surviving. Anything that does not contribute to his survival were discarded as useless information.

 

Akashi watched as Tetsuya ran towards the gates, skipping from foot to foot as he waited for his Juurou to catch up to him.

 

“Juurou! Hurry, hurry!” He bounced on the spot.

 

Akashi laughed. “Calm down, Tetsuya, or you will be exhausted even before we reach the hair salon.”

 

__________

 

The journey to a nearby hair salon was more eventful than usual. With Tetsuya exploring everything, they could hardly walk more than a meter without stopping. Every little thing catches his attention, and when that happens, he would explore it, feel it, and smell it.

 

The teal ran towards the fruit stand, proudly naming the names of the fruits, and looking back at Akashi for acknowledgement[i]. When they walked pass a cake shop, Akashi found him plastered on the glass display staring at the cakes with longing.

 

In the small street stall near Rakuzan High School, people are close-knitted and cared for each other. They recognised Akashi instantly, for Akashi had helped them a couple of times. He had once bought the entire soybean from the soy stall as it was reaching its expiry date, taught the fish mongrel’s grandchild to ride a bike, and helped the baker’s son with his homework.

 

Everyone in the street stall adored Akashi and was concerned for his injury. After Akashi introduced Tetsuya to them, they too, treated Tetsuya like their own.

 

“Bye, Tetsuya-chan! Please take care, Seijuurou-chan,” The baker’s wife waved as she watched Tetsuya munch on the cookie that she had given the boy. The redhead gave the woman a polite nod while Tetsuya turned around to give her a wave, his face looking blissed as he took another bite out of the cookie.

 

__________

 

“Welcome,” The hair stylist greeted as the bell attached to the door rang, signalling a customer. “Oh, Seijuurou-kun, it’s been a long while. And who is that behind you?” He greeted Akashi with a smile.

 

“This is Tetsuya,” Akashi introduced. “I thought that some outside air would be good, so I brought him along for a haircut here.”

 

“Ah I see. The usual then?” The hair stylist asked as he assessed Akashi’s hair.

 

At the Akashi heir’s nod, the man then turned to Tetsuya, who was hiding behind Akashi. “I will do yours after I am done with Seijuurou-kun, alright? Could you sit over there in the meantime?” He pointed at the cushioned seats at the side of the shop.

 

Tetsuya obeyed, throwing curious glances at Akashi. He watched with intense curiosity as the unknown man covered his Juurou in some weird shirt thing[ii] while he settled in a chair.

 

“Juurou funny!” Tetsuya laughed when he saw that only Akashi’s head could be seen.

 

Akashi chuckled along. “Indeed.” He agreed.

 

The man then start to comb Akashi’s hair, and Tetsuya panicked when he saw the man holding a pair of scissors from Akashi’s blind spot.

 

“Juurou!” Tetsuya yelled in warning as he dashed towards the redhead and pushed the hair stylist away.

 

“Tetsuya?!” Akashi jumped off the chair in astonishment at Tetsuya’s sudden attack.

 

The man blinked with confusion after regaining his balance, looking at Tetsuya in confusion before bending to pick up the fallen hair cutting shears.

 

Akashi observed the boy in front of him. Tetsuya was back facing him, his arms outstretched as it to protect Akashi from some danger. However, a closer look at Tetsuya showed that the boy was trembling with fear. Akashi gingerly touched an outstretched arm, but it still caused the teal to jump.

 

“What’s the matter, Tetsuya?” Akashi asked gently, making sure to keep his voice soft. It didn’t matter to him that they were in public and that he was showing his tender side to whichever paparazzi that might be out there. He could easily put them to their place if necessary. Tetsuya is more important to him right now.

 

Tetsuya turned his worried face to Akashi. “Him attack Juurou!” He tried to explain. Tetsuya then hissed at the hairdresser dangerously when the man tried to approach them again.

 

“Ah,” Akashi understood, bringing a hand to Tetsuya’s scalp to gently scratch at it to calm him down. “Don’t worry, Tetsuya. He is not trying to hurt me. This is Takuda-san, a hairdresser that I am familiar with.”

 

Tetsuya continued to look at the dresser with wariness, but eventually trusted Akashi with his judgement.

 

“Good boy,” The redhead smile, ruffling the teal hair.

 

Tetsuya returned to the sofa he was sitting before, but he stared at the man with so much wariness and suspicion, as if saying ‘Do something strange and I will kill you’.

 

As the boys resumed what they were doing before, the hairdresser cleaned his scissors before cutting Akashi’s hair, all the while laughing at the death stares that was thrown at him by Tetsuya.

 

After several minutes of intense glaring, Tetsuya eventually got tired and lost focus. Instead, he started looking around and exploring the salon, observing the equipments and flipping at the magazines. It wasn’t long before Akashi was done, and as the man removed the cape from him, Akashi got off the chair to observe his new hairstyle.

 

“Is the hairdo up to your taste, Monsieur[iii]?” Takuda joked as he flapped the cape to shake off the hair.

 

“Bien sûr[iv], I expected no less from the apprentice of the famous French stylist.” Akashi returned the tease.

 

“How is le maître[v] doing?”

 

“He is doing great. He is currently testing out a new hairstyle.”

 

“That sounds like him indeed. Even during training, he wouldn’t catch a break, always looking for new fashion and methods.

 

“Now, I am ready for Tetsuya-kun.” He announced after cleaning his equipment.

 

Upon hearing his name being called, Tetsuya perked up and ran towards Akashi and the hair stylist, earlier suspicion long gone.

 

“Sit up here, dear boy.” He instructed, covering him in the same cape that he used for Akashi.

 

Tetsuya sat up excitedly, looking around the salon from a different point of view. As he was distracted by his surroundings, he failed to notice Takuda bringing the scissors close to his hair, hence he got the fear of his life when he looked up to see the pair of scissors after the first snip.

 

_Sharp objects had always been the bane of his existence. He heard his Master’s friends mentioning about blood play, whatever that was, but occasionally, his Master likes to bring scissors or knives to him, remove his shirt and cut his skin._

_They would instruct him not to make a noise, and then watch with amusement as the little child struggled to keep his cries silent. Those men would take turns cutting him, each of them betting how many cuts it would take for him to cry. They would then adjust the depth of the cut according to their bets, trying to make sure that they have the closest numbers._

_The little slaves hated moments like this. He would always get punished or beaten up no matter how long he managed to hold his cries. If he cried early, the men who bet later would punish him for making them lose the bet. If he cried later, those who bet early would torture him afterwards._

_He was also never allowed to catch a break. If he happened to faint as a result of the pain, they would wake him up with a douse of cold water as they can’t continue their bet with the boy unconscious._

 

Screams resounded in the salon as Tetsuya shut his eyes and covered his head.

 

Takuda took several steps back, shocked at the sudden outburst. Akashi imediately limped towards Tetsuya, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder to let him know that he is here.

 

Tetsuya turned around and hugged Akashi, face buried in the redhead’s shoulder as he sobbed and trembled with fear from his past memories.

 

“Seijuurou-kun,” Takuda whispered into Akashi’s ear when he regained his composure from the outburst. “I will be at the counter. Tetsuya-kun can take all the time he needs to calm down.”

 

Akashi nodded, grateful for his understanding.

 

“Shh, Tetsuya, you are fine; you are okay.” Akashi cooed as he navigated himself onto the chair, settling the blue boy into his lap, legs splayed out at either side of his body.                                                                                                                                                            

 

The teal whined and whimpered against the redhead, his hold around the boy tightening as he recalled to particular traumatic event.

 

“Shh, you are safe here with me,” Akashi gently murmured, patting the boy’s back and occasionally rising to his head to stroke his hair. He closed his eyes and hummed the lullaby, slowly rocking his body along with the rhythm of the melody[vi], just like how he would do it when Tetsuya had a nightmare.

 

Sure enough, the trembling boy calmed down after a while, hiccupping and taking in gulps of air as he rested his forehead against the other’s neck.

 

“That’s a good boy.” Akashi smiled as he ruffled the boy’s hair, gently bringing his face up to wipe away the streak of tears. “Let’s try that again, shall we?” He asked rhetorically as he gestured for Takuda to come.

 

Tetsuya eyed Takuda warily as the man walked towards the boys. He tightened his hold on the redhead and whined in fear when the hairdresser was within an arm’s length.

 

“Juurou!” Tetsuya exclaimed with intense fear when Akashi moved to separate Tetsuya from him.

 

“Oh dear,” Akashi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. His mind turned to think of ways to convince Tetsuya that Takuda would not harm him. A hand on his shoulder, however, halted all his thoughts.

 

“It’s alright, Seijuurou-kun. I can still cut Tetsuya-kun hair like this.” Takuda said, wrapping the cape around both boys. “Take a look at this, Tetsuya-kun,” Takuda held the shears against his skin and did the scissoring motion like one would do to a paper.

 

“See? No cuts at all. These scissors are used only for the hair,” He explained as he brought the shears closer to Tetsuya’s fringe.

 

Seeing the boy jerk away and cry in fear, Takuda retreated. “Still no go, huh? How about this then,” He whipped out an electronic hair clipper. Noticing the boy’s slightly curious face, the man smiled and held it closer to the boy’s eyes.

 

When he switched the clipper on, however, Tetsuya once again cowered away. “Ah, it sounds scary, doesn’t it?” He patiently explained. “However, there is no need to worry. See?” He held the clipper against his skin to show that it was harmless. “Not a wound!” He smiled.

 

Akashi looked at the exchange through the mirror with a small smile on his face. He was glad that Takuda is kind and patient enough to handle Tetsuya’s skittish nature. Takuda combed Tetsuya’s hair before bringing the clipper against the comb to trim the blue hair.

 

Feeling Tetsuya trembling against him, Akashi once again pat Tetsuya’s back, whispering comforting words into his ears.

 

And so, Akashi and Takuda kept up with a pattern, assuring Tetsuya that no harm would come to him, and pausing in the activity when it gets too overwhelming for the boy.

 

“All done!” Takuda exclaimed after several minutes. He untied the cape around the boys and flapped it to remove the fallen hair. “It wasn’t so bad after all, was it, Tetsuya-kun.” The hairdresser laughed as he ruffled the teal hair. “What a brave boy you are!”

 

“That’s right,” Akashi added in. “You did a good job, Tetsuya. I am proud of you.”

 

Hearing praises from his beloved redhead, Tetsuya blushed a little and hide his face against the other’s shoulder, erupting another laugher from Takuda.

 

__________

 

“Juurou, Juurou!”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Tetsuya...really did good?”

 

Akashi paused in his walking… or more specifically, limping. He brought his crutches closer to his side to aid in his balancing. “Why did you ask that, Tetsuya?” He asked, slightly concerned at Tetsuya’s question.

 

“Tetsuya… scared… Tetsuya...cried. But Tetsuya still did good?” The teal asked hesitantly, his head turned down and his voice softening at the end in uncertainty.

 

Ah, Tetsuya’s lack of self-confidence.

 

“Yes.” Akashi said in a confident tone, giving Tetsuya a smile. “Tetsuya did really great. I am really proud of you.”

 

“Really?” He asked again, still somewhat unconvinced.

 

“Yes, really.” The redhead ended the sentence with a head pat.

 

Seemingly finally convinced, Tetsuya smiled and started skipping, only to accidentally hit against a middle-aged lady.

 

“Sorry sorry!” Tetsuya yelped as he tried to get away.

 

“Ah, no worries— Oh! Tetsuya-chan!” The middle-aged lady smiled as she turned around to look at the one who hit her. “Oh my, what’s the matter, child?” Her face morphed into concern after seeing Tetsuya’s eyes, which were still slightly red and swollen from crying.

 

“Tetsuya cried.” The teal explained. “But Juurou proud of Tetsuya!”

 

“Really now?” The lady turned her head to look at the Akashi teen who was catching up to the teal.

 

“Aichmophobia[vii], it seemed.” Akashi elaborated. “But Tetsuya was brave enough to bear through the event.”

 

“Is that so,” The lady smiled. “That calls for a celebration, doesn’t it?” She disappeared into her taiyaki stall, only to come out with a taiyaki ice-cream on one hand.

 

“Chocolate for you, Tetsuya-chan. You can’t go wrong with that flavour!” She laughed. “Seijuurou-chan, I ordered a new flavour yesterday and I want you to be the first person to try it! Ah, but you can’t eat with your crutches, can you? Come in come in! Take a seat.”

 

Akashi chuckled at the lady’s antics. She was as bubbly and active as always. “I am sorry for intruding.” He politely said.

 

“Nonsense, boy. This place is empty anyway.” She gestured to the empty tables.

 

“So, what’s this about a new flavour?” Akashi asked when he and Tetsuya had settled down at a table.

 

“Try it, Seijuurou-chan!” The lady thrusted a creamy white taiyaki ice-cream to the redhead.

 

The scion observed the ice-cream for a moment and mumbled his thanks for the food before taking a small lick at the swirl of ice-cream. “This—! Yuba[viii]?!”

 

The taiyaki shop owner too in Akashi’s widened eyes and laughed. “That’s right, my boy! It’s a rare flavour. I knew you would like it. And it looked like Tetsuya-chan is enjoying his too.”

 

Sensing amusement in her voice, Akashi looked over at Tetsuya only to gape at the sight before him.

 

Chocolate covered Tetsuya’s mouth and hands and upon sensing Akashi’s gaze on him, he looked up and gave a small head tilt and Akashi swore nothing was more adorable than that.

 

Though…

 

“What a mess...” Akashi breathed, not sure whether to chide Tetsuya or laugh at his cuteness.

 

Tetsuya continued to look clueless when the store owner waddled over to help him wipe his face and hands with wet tissues.

 

As Akashi observed the scene before him, his thoughts went back to the incidents that happened today. Despite knowing Tetsuya after more than half a year, there were still a lot more to Tetsuya’s trauma than what Akashi had witnessed so far.

 

The aichmophobia was a new information, but more importantly, Tetsuya still lacks self-confidence and still fears disapproval.

 

Now, how shall he tackle these problems?

 

 

[i]  Little children like to show what they know and look for acknowledgement and praise. They would often point at stuff they learned and name them in hopes that you would acknowledge them and praise them.

 

[ii] Hairdressing cape

 

[iii] French for ‘Mister’

 

[iv] French for ‘Of course’

 

[v] French for ‘Master’, as in an instructor or a teacher

 

[vi] Rocking released endorphins, which can help someone feel good

 

[vii] Aichmophobia is the fear of sharp objects, such as pencil, knife, scissors or even a pointing finger.

 

[viii] Yuba is the skin that is found on top of soymilk when it is being heated to make tofu. It is a delicacy unique to Kyoto and I thought it would be a perfect flavor for Akashi to try. I initially wanted to give Akashi strawberry, but was curious about strange flavours that can be found in Japan so I did a bit of reading. Here is the site where I found Yuba from: <https://gurunavi.com/en/japanfoodie/2016/08/Japanese-Ice-Cream.html?__ngt__=TT0dd54d370007ac1e4aed45XvKA1uU_wT5lXg0Rk6w6t_>

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for such a long delay in updating.  
> This chapter was really hard to write, and I had been really busy in the past months due to school work. I was also increasingly depressed and suicidal, and had very bad writer's block.
> 
> This chapter is my gift for you all for 2017.
> 
> The plot is taking a turn. The outside world comes with their own set of problems, and Tetsuya will probably learn them all the hard way.
> 
> Thank you for reading my fic. May 2018 be a good year for all of us.
> 
> Comments are greatly appreciated. I would like to know about your thoughts regarding the story.


	27. Chapter 27: Rakuzan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Tetsuya's insistence, Akashi decided to bring Tetsuya along to Rakuzan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of body fluids

**Chapter 27: Rakuzan**

 

Tetsuya stared at Akashi longingly from the bed as the redhead dressed himself in his high school uniform and wrapped a scarf around his neck.

 

“Juurou...”

 

“Hm?” Akashi hummed as he adjusted the scarf around.

 

“Tetsuya want come too...”

 

Akashi turned around and explained patiently once more. “I’ve told you before, Tetsuya. I am going to Rakuzan to take an exam, I can’t be with you or look after you there.”

 

Tetsuya said nothing as he hugged his knees towards his chest, burying the lower part of his face into said knees. After a long silence, Tetsuya mumbled, “Tetsuya will be good...”

 

Akashi frowned at the teal and sighed. Grabbing the crutches that were resting against the wall beside him, Akashi limped out of the walk-in wardrobe and towards the sulking boy. The sound of crutches contacting with the floor resounded in the quiet room rhythmically.

 

Tetsuya did not look up even when Akashi was right in front of him, prompting Akashi to release another sigh. Placing a hand on Tetsuya’s now shorter hair, Akashi gave a tender smile. “How can I say no to that face?”

 

Immediately looking up, Tetsuya’s face turned hopeful, “Tetsuya can come?”

 

Akashi chuckled. “Yes, Tetsuya. You may come.”

 

__________

 

Akashi’s examination was only for Rakuzan year two students, so the school was rather empty. When the Akashi car drove into the porch, the chauffeur opened the door and helped Akashi out before doing the same for Tetsuya.

 

“Thank you,” Akashi smiled at the chauffeur as he was handled his crutches. The chauffeur bowed as he watched Akashi and Tetsuya walked further into the school building.

 

“Juurou, Juurou! That!” Tetsuya pointed at the red track in the middle of a field.

 

“That’s the running track, Tetsuya.” Akashi answered.

 

“That?” He pointed to a glass door with black equipment in them.

 

“That’s the school fitness gym.”

 

Akashi and Tetsuya walked side-by-side, Tetsuya pointing at places that piped his interests and Akashi identifying them. Finally, they reached the Student Council room, and Akashi scanned his card to enter.

 

“This is the student council room, Tetsuya.” Akashi explained, pushing the elegant wooden door open to reveal the student council work area. He led Tetsuya to the desk with his name on it.

 

“This is my desk. You will hang around here while I take my examinations, okay? Feel free to touch whatever you need here. Just don’t touch the other tables.” Akashi said, gesturing to the smaller desks around him.

 

“Okays!” Tetsuya sang as he sat on Akashi’s work chair and spin himself in circles.

 

“Tetsuya, I am going to the office to get you a visitor’s pass. You stay here and don’t go anywhere.”

 

Seeing Tetsuya’s enthusiastic nod, Akashi smiled and pressed the button that would unlock his office from the inside, allowing him to get out.

 

Tetsuya was spinning in the chair and squealing in delight when he saw something white from the corner of his eyes. Stopping the chair and swaying from side to side due to his dizziness, Tetsuya laughed as he waited for the spinning sensation in his head to stop. Pulling the pile of white papers towards him, Tetsuya took a pen and pretended to scribble words on it, mimicking how he saw Akashi work when they were at home.

 

Pulling the paper on the top of the pile aside and continuing his fake scribbles on the next top of the pile, the teal repeated the action until he reached the last of the pile, and then he froze.

 

The last piece of paper was made of a tougher paper material, slightly yellowed due to old age, and a design he had seen and recognised as the chain of his life and cause of all his living nightmare: his official slavery document.

 

It was the same paper that his master flashed to him whenever he tried to escape, taunting him that the paper proved he was just a tool; a thing. Something less than a human. It meant that he belonged to Master, and that he could never be anything more.

 

Chie, Hino and Kisako told him that Juurou had burnt the documents into ashes, so why is his still with Juurou?

 

The door to the outside opened to reveal Juurou, but Tetsuya was too lost in thoughts to notice.

 

Akashi felt something was wrong when he opened the door. The air was strangely tensed, and Tetsuya did not welcome him back like he usually would. “Tetsuya?” He called out, alarmed. What had happened while he was away?

 

Hearing his name being called, Tetsuya jerked and looked up at Akashi.

 

The redhead frowned. Something is indeed wrong.

 

Limping towards Tetsuya, he was about to open his mouth to speak when he saw what Tetsuya was holding.

 

Oh.

 

“So this is where it is.” Akashi mumbled to himself, taking the slavery document from Tetsuya.

 

“Juurou...” Tetsuya started, his voice quivering. “Why Juurou have this?”

 

“Ah this?” Akashi looked at the slavery form. He remembered every detailed on the form, from the words on it to Tetsuya’s name to the signature that was signed at the end of the paper. “I was hoping to be able to track your relatives with this form.”

 

Tetsuya perked up a little. “Parents?”

 

Akashi nodded. “Yep. There’s a high chance that the person who signed this is related to you. I thought it would be a great idea to learn about your past by looking through the system to find a signature that matches this one.” He pointed at the signature at the end.

 

“Don’t worry,” Akashi patted Tetsuya’s head. “You are no longer a slave, and this document is no longer valid.” He showed Tetsuya the word stamped in red below the signature.

 

Tetsuya hilted his head at the unknown word.

 

“It is read as ‘revoked’.” Akashi told him.

 

“Revoked?” The smaller boy echoed.

 

“Yep. It means that it is cancelled. No longer applicable. I told you before, didn’t I?” Akashi smiled. “You are not a slave anymore. You are free now.”

 

Tetsuya’s eyes widened at the familiar words, his heart feeling all warm and fuzzy before it suddenly dropped and he became filled with dread once more.

 

“If… if Juurou found Tetsuya relative, will Tetsuya no be with Juurou anymore?” He asked, terrified and grabbing onto Akashi’s school blazer.

 

Akashi looked back at Tetsuya. “Does Tetsuya not want to stay here?”

 

“No!” Tetsuya exclaimed, running into Akashi’s chest for a hug, causing Akashi to almost lose his balance if not for his crutches. “Tetsuya want stay with Juurou forever!”

 

A warm smile broke and spread through Akashi’s face. “Then Tetsuya may stay forever. Besides, the government would not allow you to be place under the care of the very person who sold you.”

 

The school bell suddenly rang, and Tetsuya rubbed his face against Akashi’s chest before stepping back. “Juurou! Good luck for exa-mee-nation! Tetsuya support you!”

 

Akashi laughed and ruffled the teal hair. “Thank you, Tetsuya.” He took a card out and hand it to the teal. “Keep this with you. If anyone saw you here, show them this visitor’s pass and let them know that I allowed you in here, alright?”

 

“Alright!” Kuroko ran back to Akashi’s desk, placed the card on the table and jumped on the redhead’s chair. “I am Juurou today!”

 

That remark prompted Akashi to laugh. After seeing Tetsuya settled behind his desk, Akashi bid Tetsuya goodbye once more before heading out of the student council room and to his examination hall.

 

__________

 

The sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor as students around her looked at her with awe and admiration. Makoto flipped her blond, curly hair over her shoulder as she walked with confidence in every step, her nose high up as she look down on the all the students of lower status.

 

She is Ii Makoto, only child of the distinguished Ii family. Her family ancestry was a descendant Ii Naosuke, the daimyo[i] who signed a treaty with the Americans to enable trade[ii]. Her mother is a rich American lady who owns a huge chain of famous branded jewelleries while her father is a Japanese who inherited the wealth of his daimyo forefathers’ properties. In short, Makoto is a rich lady with the best on both sides. Whatever she wants, she gets.

 

Makoto is also a third year student of Rakuzan, as well as the vice president of the school. Under normal circumstances, she had no reason to be in school that day. After all, working under Akashi Seijuurou meant that all documents are to be completed as soon as possible, without any procrastination or delay. However, through the window of her one-person room of her school hostel, Makoto saw Akashi Seijuurou’s sleek, black car driving pass the Rakuzan gates, and hence she decided to ‘patrol’ around the school in hopes of passing Akashi Seijuurou to show him her dedication to the school.

 

Whatever Li Makoto wants, Li Makoto gets. That includes making men fall in love with her, even if it is just to reject them for her own self-enjoyment. However, there is just one thing she failed to obtain and that is Akashi Seijuurou. It initially started as a challenge, since Akashi Seijuurou wouldn’t fall to her charm no matter what she did. However, overtime, it developed into love and she desired his attention more than anything. Hence, she would do whatever it takes to get on his good side.

 

As Makoto ‘patrolled’ near the student council room, she noticed that the lights were turned on. Hoping to get on the president’s good side by pretending that she was checking if she had any remaining council work left[iii], she scanned her student card and entered the room—

 

— only that instead of the handsome redhead that she expected to see, it was a teal that was running towards her.

 

“Juurou~” That blue _thing_ exclaimed as it hugged her tight.

 

__________

 

After Akashi left, Tetsuya returned the slavery paper back to its original spot and resumed twirling in the chair. He pushed against the floor, enabling him to turn faster and faster and he laughed as the world spin around him. He eventually leaned back and let the spinning come to a stop on its own, enjoying the sensation in his body.

 

When he opened his eyes, he saw the world still spinning and stood up from the chair and tumbled over as he tried to regain his balance from the vertigo. In the end, he sat down on the polished floor and waited for his head to stop spinning before returning to the chair and start the next round of spinning.

 

Eventually, Tetsuya got sick and tired from the constant spinning and decided to look around Juurou’s work area. Juurou had told him not to touch any tables other than the one he was sitting on, so the teal obediently stayed around the area.

 

He looked up the shelves and saw several thick books from something-mountain-high school histoo-ri[iv] book and other thick books that he can’t read. Choosing a random book from the shelf, Tetsuya returned to Juurou’s table to take a look at the thick book that he had picked. When he finally got tired of reading, Tetsuya searched around Akashi’s tables for unused or unwanted papers and began drawing mini versions of his beloved Juurou.

 

It wasn't long before he got tired again and decided to dig around Akashi’s desk once more. At the bottom most of the desk lies a drawer that was filled with images instead of paperwork and books. Tetsuya took them out and observe each and every one of them.

 

In a photo lies a very small Juurou who was holding the hands of a very beautiful lady that Tetsuya recognised as Shiori. The bigger version of Juurou was on small Juurou’s other side, his hand gently supporting Juurou’s shoulder. That man must have been Juurou’s father.

 

Another photo shows a bigger and happier Juurou surrounded by a happy and younger looking Ahone, Kiss and Mini-Midoma. There was also a tall purple human that Tetsuya do not know of. Regardless, Juurou looked like he was having a lot of fun. He was smiling with Ahone and Kiss, and even Mini-Midoma had a small smile on his face. They had medals around their neck and a trophy in their hands. An old man with white hair and kind eyes was also smiling with them and looking proud.

 

The next photo was so much different from the rest. Gone was the smiling Juurou which was replaced with a stern and strict-looking Juurou. His eyes were cold and lacked the warmth that Tetsuya had seen and it made him feel scared. Ahone also changed completely. Instead of the mischievous face he had in the previous photo, this one was of boredom and disinterest. The eyes lacked a joy that he saw back when he was playing basketball with Kiss and himself. Both Kiss and Mini-Midoma no longer look as happy and even the purple person look bored. The kind old man was replaced with a younger man with spectacles and he look totally uncomfortable with Juurou and the rest.  
  
The photo after looked the same, except everyone else besides a very short-fringed Juurou is replaced with people he don’t know. That was until he saw the guy with blond hair and the one with shoulder-length black hair that carried Juurou into the house – the very same guy that looked intimidating.

 

Suddenly feeling a little terrified, the teal placed the photos onto Juurou’s table. Having left Tetsuya Nigou back at home, Tetsuya was desperate to find something that could soothe him. He brought his legs up to his chest and hugged them. That was when a beep sounded from outside the door. Realising that Juurou is back, Tetsuya immediately ran towards the door and hugged the person at the other side, only for that person to shriek and violently push him away.

 

__________

 

Tetsuya was a mess of confusion and fear when he was violently pushed away by ‘Juurou’. He landed painfully on his tailbone, his arms followed suit to support his upper body. Turning his head up, Tetsuya saw a girl with curly, yellow hair looking at him with an expression he has seen all his life – the look of disgust and disdain.

 

Makoto looked down at the _thing_ that had collided into her and faked nausea when blue eyes look back up at her. The _thing_ was disgustingly skinny, with clothes and pants that were too big on him: definitely look like some stray that somehow managed to find its way in.

 

She took a brief look around the room and saw that only Akashi’s table was touched.

 

“Who are you?! How the hell did you get in here?!” She shouted at the trembling boy on the floor.

 

Stunned and paralysed with fear, Tetsuya was unable to give a response.

 

Makoto grabbed the teal by his bony wrist and dragged him up and out of the Student Council room. The boy stood on his shaky legs, plastering himself against the wall.

 

“Who the hell are you,” Makoto repeated again with impatience. “It would be in your best interest to answer me.”

 

The blue thing whimpered, digging his pockets for who-knows-what.

 

“Makoto-senpai?” One of the second year Rakuzan students called, shortly followed up with two more students.

 

“Ah, May, Hana, Mahi, I take it that the examinations are over.” Makoto greeted. “Look at what I found hiding in the Student Council room.”

 

May, the one that first greeted Makoto, was of a rather high birth. Her father was in the government sector, and she has always studied in prestigious schools.

 

Likewise, both Hana and Mahi were also of certain prestige, and together, all three of them were known to Rakuzan students as Makoto’s lackeys, each hoping to take over her role to become the next vice president of Rakuzan and to get the attention of Akashi Seijuurou.

 

“Oh ew...” May looked at the boy plastered against the wall with an exaggerated gross-out face.

 

“D-Don’t hurt Tetsuya… Tetsuya good. Tetsuya no do wrong...” The teal whimpered when he couldn’t find the card Akashi gave him.

 

“Tetsuya…? So that’s your pitiful name?” Makoto laughed. Behind her, her three lackeys giggled in support.

 

“Tetsuya is good… Tetsuya is good...” The boy whimpered some more, turning his eyes to the ground.

 

“What’s with your Tetsuya this Tetsuya that?! Are you trying to act cute? How disgusting!” Makoto sneered, her three followers laughing even louder.

 

Fearful of the girls surrounding him, Tetsuya’s legs gave up on him and he slowly landed on the floor, shaking and crying for Juurou.

 

Makoto and her friend were making fun of Tetsuya when they smelled the unmistakable smell of urea.

 

“Ew!!! Oh my god! He pissed himself!” Hana pointed out at the wet patch on Tetsuya’s trousers and floor, prompting the other girls to laugh again.

 

“What a vile creature you are,” Makoto commented. “How did you get in here in the first place?”

 

“Juurou got Tetsuya! Juurou… Juurou!” Tetsuya cried, and began calling out for his most trusted person.

 

“Stop your Tetsuya-Tetsuya-Tetsuya, it’s disgusting!” The vice president shouted again.

 

Tetsuya flinched in fear and curled up even more.

 

“My my, what is going on here?”

 

Everyone but Tetsuya look up at the unknown voice.

 

“Bullying a visitor of Rakuzan? That won’t reflect well on Rakuzan and her students, would it?”

 

“Mibuchi-san,” Makoto replied with a straight face. “This right here is no visitor of Rakuzan. He do not have a visitor’s pass, and he somehow managed to get into the Student Council room and was touching Akashi-sama’s items.”

 

Mibuchi took another look at the trembling teal. “Well, I have seen him with Sei-chan before, so I am sure Sei-chan let him in.”

 

__________

 

Right after Akashi Seijuurou had finished his examination and was dismissed, he was called by Shirogane Eiji as the latter wanted to check on his recovery., leading to his delay in returning to Tetsuya.

 

As he was heading towards the Student Council, he saw a commotion in the distant. Tetsuya was on the floor crying while Mibuchi was talking to Li Makoto and her followers.

 

A bad feeling immediately overcame him and Akashi instantly abandoned his crutches to run to towards the teal, ignoring the pain that shot up his injured leg.

 

“What happened here?!” Akashi asked, alarmed, when he reached them.

 

“Sei-chan!” “Akashi-sama!” The sound of clutches hitting the floor and the sudden appearance of the redhead had caught everyone by surprise.

 

Akashi ignored their calls and squatted in front of Tetsuya instead, ignoring the pool of urine that was so close to him.

 

“Tetsuya,” Akashi whispered gently, but urgently. “What happened?”

 

Hearing a familiar voice, the boy peeked out of his ball and immediately hugged the redhead in front of him.

 

“Juurou!” He wailed.

 

“What?! The nerve of that boy, calling Akashi-sama by a nickname!” Hana pointed out.

 

“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” Akashi quickly responded as he continued to shush the crying boy.

 

“Shh, it’s alright, Tetsuya. I am here now.” Akashi whispered into his ears, cradling the head against his chest and slowly patting the teal-coloured hair. From behind him, Makoto and her lackeys looked on with shock and jealousy.

 

When the poor boy was finally calmer, Akashi stood up to face the group. “So, what happened here?” He looked at Mibuchi.

 

Mibuchi shrugged. “When I was here, Tetsuya-chan was already on the floor, with them surrounding him.”

 

Akashi turned his attention to the girls.

 

“Ah no, Akashi-sama. I found him looking lost so I decided to help him. But it seemed like I have startled him somehow and he started to cry.”

 

“I see.” The Rakuzan president answered without an emotion. “You are dismissed, I will take over from here.”

 

The girls walked away, seemingly unhappy and mumbling among themselves.

 

“Come, Tetsuya. Let’s go clean up.” Akashi said gently as he supported the boy up.

 

“Sei-chan, here. I will help you.” Mibuchi said as he pass the clutches to the basketball captain.

 

__________

 

“Tetsuya can do it alone!” The teal insisted when Akashi offered to help him shower. “Juurou rest!” Akashi would have been more inclined to believe that statement if not for the puffy eyes on the smaller boy’s face.

 

“Are you sure? I can ask Mibuchi to help you,” Akashi suggested.

 

The stubborn teal shook his head. “Do alone! Juurou go!” He shoo-ed Akashi away before closing the shower cubicle. The water started shortly after.

 

Akashi shook his head in amusement.

 

Mibuchi watched as his junior threw the wet training diaper into the trash and placed the urine soaked clothes into a plastic bag.

 

“I apologise if Tetsuya had troubled you, Mibuchi. By the way, what were you doing outside the Student Council room?” Akashi asked as he took a seat beside the shooting guard outside the shower cubicles.

 

“I was hoping to be able to see you, Sei-chan! I wanted to check up on you. But Sei-chan, with regards to what Li Makoto said...” Mibuchi replied. “I believe she was being mean to Tetsuya-kun. On my way there, I overhead Makoto making fun of him for speaking strangely.”

 

“I see...“ Akashi mumbled. “Well, he is trying his best, and considering his upbringing, he is already making a very fast progress...”

 

“Upbringing?” The black-haired male questioned, sounding concerned.

 

“Tetsuya...” Akashi sighed, and spoke in a softer voice. “Tetsuya, you see, was formerly a slave. He was overworked, underfed and badly abused. He barely knew anything about a normal life, nor about being a normal human, for that matter. When I first found him, he could barely form a proper phrase. Of course, he is a lot better now...”

 

“I see... ” Mibuchi responded. Silence settled between them before he started again.

 

“Sei-chan… I have a confession to make.”

 

Akashi turned to look at Mibuchi.

 

“I met Tetsuya-kun before…” Upon the look of interest on Akashi’s face, he elaborated. “On the day you broke your ankle, I carried you back to your mansion.”

 

“Ah- about that, I have yet to thank you, Mibuchi. You have my gratitude for helping me--”

 

Mibuchi waved his gratitude off. “I went into the room that Tetsuya-kun was occupying. Back then, I recognised him as the source of your stress, so I threatened him to fix his problem with you fast or the whole of Rakuzan would come after him. I think I might have scared him with that.”

 

Akashi looked back to the front quietly before letting out a small laugh.

 

“Sei-chan?”

 

“Ah, no. If anything, I am grateful for that. Your words likely gave Tetsuya the push he needed, though I must admit that I should have been the one who made the first move. I hardly doubt Tetsuya holds a grudge against you.”

 

“Oh, you!” Mibuchi fake-scolded Akashi. “Us Rakuzan will always have your back, Sei-chan. And also,” The black-haired shooter lightly slapped Akashi’s head, causing the redhead’s eyes to widen in shock. “Don’t ever neglect your health ever again! During that incident, and your leg just now. Rakuzan needs you!”

 

__________

 

“Juurou...” Tetsuya whined after a while of silence.

 

Akashi stood up to reach for his crutches, only to be stopped by his senior.

 

“Let me do it,” Mibuchi smiled and approached the cubicle Tetsuya was occupying. “I need to make up to him after all.”

 

“Tetsuya-chan~ I’m coming in.” He called out.

 

__________

 

“Oh dear,”

 

What Mibuchi could see of the boy named Tetsuya was an arm out of a track t-shirt collar and a head trying to force through the arm flaps.

 

“How did you even get into such a state?”

 

As Mibuchi helped Tetsuya into the track shirt proper, a pouty face of pure unhappiness greeted him.

 

“Could have do alone...” The boy pouted.

 

“That’s not true, you were asking Sei-chan for help earlier.” Mibuchi retorted.

 

“Could totally do alone...” The stubborn boy insisted.

 

“Well,” Mibuchi started as he helped the boy into the track pants Akashi lent him. “You totally looked troubled.”

 

“Juurou!!!” Tetsuya cried and ran out of the cubicle, his arms stretched out, seeking for a hug. “Buchi bully!!!”

 

“Oh! At least dry your hair before crying to Sei-chan!” The tallest of the boys scolded gently, as he brought a dry towel along with him.

 

Akashi laughed and accepted the boy into his arms. He took the towel passed to him and proceeded to dry the teal hair. “What would you like Mibuchi to do then?”

 

“Buchi say sorry...” The boy pouted and tucked his face into the redhead’s shoulder.

 

Mibuchi faked a huff. “Well, sorry, Tetsuya-chan!”

 

“Mibuchi has apologised, so forgive him, alright?” Akashi tried to placid.

 

Silence stretched between the boys as Akashi gently dried the blue hair. They were in the quiet comfort of the showering room, with Mibuchi humming a melody. The soft smell of soap in the toilet further sent a wave of comfort and calmness, relaxing its occupants.

 

“He’s fallen asleep.” Mibuchi observed after a while.

 

Akashi pulled the towel away from the now-dry teal hair. “Well, it _is_ quite a taxing day for him after all.”

 

“Mibuchi, I don’t really want to wake him up[v] so could you help me carry Tetsuya to the Rakuzan circle driveway?” Akashi asked after a brief check on the time on his phone.

 

Recognising that Akashi was, in his own way, listening to Mibuchi’s lecture by allowing him to be assisted instead of trying to do everything himself, Mibuchi beamed, his eyes curled into an inverted U.

 

“But of course,” the shooting guard said.

 

 

* * *

 

 

[i] Daimyo is a feudal lord in ancient Japan  


[ii] Referring to Ii Naosuke, a daimyo known for signing the Harris Treaty which enables Japan and USA to trade with each other. Makoto is a made up name for the sake of the story. There is no ‘Ii Makoto’ in actual life.

 

[iii] I studied Love Psychology and one of the most interesting thing about crushes is that you would do anything to ‘chance upon’ that person, sometimes even as far as to stalk them to know about their routine. An example is that if Man always goes for a jog every Wednesday afternoon at Place A. The one who had a crush on Man might go as far as to stalk Man to figure out that routine and then purposefully jog at Place A on Wednesday afternoon so that they might have a ‘chanced meeting’.

 

[iv] Referring to Rakuzan High School History book. Tetsuya read it as something(he doesn’t know how to read that) and mountain because the ‘山’ part of the kanji in Rakuzan（洛山） can also be read as mountain, which is ‘yama’, instead of ‘zan’.

 

[v] Instead of saying ‘I (obviously) can’t carry Tetsuya (because of my injured leg), Akashi claimed that he didn’t want to wake Tetsuya up, all because he still feel uncomfortable relying on others but is willing to take a step to change – by asking for help in a different wording

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy April's fool!
> 
> By the way, this is a serious chapter, not an April's fool's joke.  
> It's my birthday tomorrow, so I thought it would be great to upload a chapter for it. Not that it makes any real difference though..
> 
> I took a rather long hiatus due to school exams and health reasons so... sorry about that.  
> I went on a school trip to California in March -- we went to San Francisco and Los Angeles. It's such a beautiful place (and Disneyland rides are real fun)
> 
> Also, if I may be selfish to request this to my readers who has some money to spare, I was hoping that you could donate a bit of money to me so that I could pay for my medical bills.  
> My family is in debt to banks and to several people and I kinda want to ease the financial burden by being able to pay for part of my bills..
> 
> If you are willing to support me, you can do so at 
> 
> Ko-fi.com/buylcoffee
> 
> or my PayPal at
> 
> jenniferchua22@gmail.com
> 
> Thank you so much for your support!  
> Comments are very much appreciated!
> 
> Edit: I am a little loss on how to continue the story, so some suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Base on this fic prompt:
> 
> https://justsimplyl.tumblr.com/post/156207359402/you-dont-have-to-be-anyones-slave-anymore-you  
> ___________________________________________
> 
> This story takes place in modern context, except that slavery still exist.


End file.
